[dbussone]

Originally Posted by Halibut

For supporting the fatwa against Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini: "He must be killed. The Qur'an makes it clear – if someone defames the prophet, then he must die."



Which, yes, Yusuf subsequently said he was only re-stating the rule for blasphemy and was using "dry humor" about these "stupid and offensive jokes" he made on a talk show:



Robertson: You think that this man deserves to die?

Y. Islam: Who, Salman Rushdie?

Robertson: Yes.

Y. Islam: Yes, yes.

Robertson: And do you have a duty to be his executioner?

Y. Islam: Uh, no, not necessarily, unless we were in an Islamic state and I was ordered by a judge or by the authority to carry out such an act – perhaps, yes.



With regard to an upcoming protest where an effigy of Rushdie was to be burned:

Robertson: Would you be part of that protest, Yusuf Islam, would you go to a demonstration where you knew that an effigy was going to be burned?

Y. Islam: I would have hoped that it'd be the real thing.



I don't buy his later spin doctoring, or his return to music after calling it a sinful occupation for three decades. I also wonder why this is no longer the religious image he chooses to present of himself to the world.

What you note is completely accurate. He no longer projects this image because it doesn't suit either his financial or religious needs. That is not to say he doesn't continue to have those beliefs. But remember, in Islam, it is permitted to lie to infidels.