"Western media is only looking at a minority which they think represents Islam,” Islam

DUBAI, January 14 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Yusuf Islam, a former pop-star known as Cat Stevens told students in a school in Dubai that Muslims "don’t want to be fought" for their religion, a UAE newspaper reported Tuesday, January 14.   

Meeting with students in the Dubai National School, Islam said that the "Western media is only looking at a minority which they think represents Islam," reported the UAE newspaper, Gulf News.

The paper asked Islam whether ordinary Muslims are not doing enough to stop the hijacking of their religion by extremists and he responded: "The press needs to look elsewhere and they will find a vast majority of Muslims who want a good life, a peaceful life and a happy life." 

Gulf News also asked him whether he agrees with the American viewpoint that the curricula in schools in some countries in the region must be changed to make children more aware of other cultures, to that Islam said that there is a problem and that "he is working with schools in the U.K. and in some countries, to develop broad curricula, which will include all knowledge, but with the guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the sayings of the Prophet PBUH).

"The problem is that many Muslims have not really studied or understood the depth of the Qur’an," he told Gulf News, adding "that there is no competition between faith and science. Only when you see the miracle of life can you understand the Divine Creator."  

Islam also told the paper that the west has "gone too far in the over-indulgence of the senses."  

"Music is one of the things which delights people. But it should be used with wisdom," he said.  

Islam reminisced about the historic methods of teaching the principles of Islam to children. "If you look back into the history of Islam, hundreds of years ago, they used to teach the principles of Islam through the learning of 'Qasaidh (through singing in the poem form). It is an easy way for children to learn. It is not going to displace anything, but is going to help complement it in what we believe is an important education mission," said Islam, reported Gulf News.

Dressed in white trousers and a flowing shirt and white scarf thrown over his shoulder, Yusuf Islam sang to excited kindergarten grade children at the Dubai National School, the hugely popular A for Allah album, reported the paper.

Islam condemned the September 11 attacks calling them un-Islamic. "I wish to express my heartfelt horror at the indiscriminate terrorist attacks committed against innocent people of the United States," Islam wrote on his official website.

"No right-thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action," he wrote, adding, "The Qur'an equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity."  

Yusuf Islam became Muslim in 1977. Following a 17-year hiatus from the music business, he returned in 1995 and has since released three albums of Islam related songs, The Life of the Last Prophet (1995), Prayers of the Last Prophet (1999) and a record for children, A Is for Allah (2000). He has sold more than 40 million albums, though few of those are from his Yusuf Islam era.