Cat Stevens
British musician (born 1948)
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- Violence is almost an everyday occurrence in some Muslim lands: it should not be exacerbated by revenge attacks on more innocent families and communities.
- I suppose that the media and their portrayal of Islam and the almost tribal separations and divisions of the Muslims are the greatest issues confronting Muslims in the United Kingdom.
- I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I'm an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after.
- Everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah.
- In a World where people are surrounded by darkness, ignorance and fear, it is a sign of hope to be celebrating Islam's message of peace and light, and the last great Messenger, born and chosen to deliver them to all mankind.
- I've studied various schools of thought... I acknowledge that some Muslims consider music prohibited, but I've found a lot of evidence from the life of the Prophet to show that he allowed certainly, but even encouraged, music at certain times.
- It's very difficult to ignore humanitarian disasters. The royalties from my albums continue to support my charity work.
- I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.
- There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.
- If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there's a million ways to be, you know that there are.
- In those days a concert was a personal experience. I wanted to be as close as possible to the audience, and of course big stadiums didn't enable you to do that. It wasn't my style.
- Communal well-being is central to human life.
- It is part of my faith as a Muslim to try to help those who are suffering from poverty or economic or political injustice.
- I found a religion that blended scientific reason with spiritual reality in a unifying faith far removed from the headlines of violence, destruction and terrorism.
- Music is part of God's universe.
- Ever since I became a Muslim, I've had to deal with attempts to damage my reputation and countless insinuations seeking to cast doubt on my character and trying to connect me to causes which I do not subscribe to.
- Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death.
- Because I don't play guitar any more, African harmonies and rhythms have been an inspiration to me. I love the raw origin of the sound. It complements my voice and words naturally.
- I've returned to being an amateur without any ties or strings attached, which gives me a freedom I never had before.
- Some extremists take elements of the sacred scriptures out of context.
- Though times have changed, it's a nice surprise to see that youthful feeling of anti-war sentiment returning once more to the cobbled main streets of Europe.
- There was no division I could see between the essential teaching of all Prophets and wise men of religion.
- The greatest legacy is that which benefits the widest number of people for the longest period without limit to value. No one but the Prophet Muhammad was given that role as the seal of God's message.
- I became alienated from this religious upbringing, and started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my god: the goal of making money.