Stewart-Colbert so-called "sanity" rally featured Islamist Yusuf Islam and "certified expert on crazy" Ozzy Osbourne :: Political News and commentaries

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October 31, 2010

Stewart-Colbert so-called "sanity" rally featured Islamist Yusuf Islam and "certified expert on crazy" Ozzy Osbourne

Topics: Political News and commentaries

Quite contrary to being a "sanity" rally, it was more a rally of loons (check out the signs in this video), complete with the "certified expert on crazy" and even an Islamic supremacist.

As Robert Spencer points out, this is an example of the Leftist/Jihadist Alliance, or perhaps of the cluelessness of the Left, or perhaps of its indifference to the freedom of speech that Islamic supremacists wish so ardently to extinguish. On the other hand, perhaps all three. Take your pick.

(Image: "Certified expert on crazy, Ozzy Osbourne" alongside Islamist Yusuf Islam who who called for the murder of Salman Rushdie.)

From the Associated Press, October 30:

WASHINGTON -- In the shadow of the Capitol and the election, comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert entertained a huge throng Saturday at a "sanity" rally poking fun at the nation's ill-tempered politics, fear-mongers and doomsayers.

[...] Ozzy Osbourne and Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, engaged in something of a battle of the bands as the heavy-metal rocker barged in on the folkie's hit, "Peace Train," in a mock clash of music and cultures....

From the New York Times, May 23, 1989 - "Cat Stevens Gives Support To Call for Death of Rushdie," by Craig R. Whitney:

TONDON [sic], May 22 -- The musician known as Cat Stevens said in a British television program to be broadcast next week that rather than go to a demonstration to burn an effigy of the author Salman Rushdie, ''I would have hoped that it'd be the real thing.''
The singer, who adopted the name Yusuf Islam when he converted to Islam, made the remark during a panel discussion of British reactions to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's call for Mr. Rushdie to be killed for allegedly blaspheming Islam in his best-selling novel ''The Satanic Verses.'' He also said that if Mr. Rushdie turned up at his doorstep looking for help, ''I might ring somebody who might do more damage to him than he would like.''

''I'd try to phone the Ayatollah Khomeini and tell him exactly where this man is,'' said Mr. Islam, who watched a preview of the program today and said in an interview that he stood by his comments..

Although Stevens (Aka Yusuf Islam) now denies having said it, nonetheless he's been an ardent orthodox Islamist ever since his conversion, and according to Spencer all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence do mandate a death penalty for blasphemy, making his denials unconvincing and suspect.

As for the so-called "sanity" aspect of the rally, Jay Tea over at Wizbang aptly quips, "If This Is "Sanity," I'll Stay Unrestored, Thank You:

{...] First up, the crowd was overwhelmingly white. There were hardly any minorities in the coverage I did see.

Second, there were a lot of nuts there, with the prerequisite hate-filled signs. The organizers did a really lousy job at "preserving sanity" and keeping the crazies at bay. Why, it's almost as if they intended to appeal to the nuts.

Third, one of their key celebrity guests was noted Islamic radical extremist Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens. Islam, who supported the fatwa calling for Salman Rushdie's death. Rushdie earned the wrath of "radical" Muslims for depicting Mohammed in a novel. I seem to recall organizer Jon Stewart ripping his bosses over their cowing over a similar threat when South Park wanted to depict Mohammed; one wonders if that subject came up either before or after Islam performed "Peace Train."

Oh, and the Salman Rushdie incident wasn't the only time Yusuf Islam has dabbled with extremism. He attended a fundraiser for one of Hamas' Canadian front organizations, recorded a song for another Hamas fundraiser, and has been tied to numerous radical Islamist terrorists. Essentially, he portrays himself as the civilized "face" of Islam, raising money to further the ambitions of the more openly radical.

And remember, he didn't just show up. He was invited there by the organizers and put front and center as an exemplar of "sanity." (Counterbalanced by a certified expert on crazy, Ozzy Osbourne.)

"Rally to restore sanity?" If this is sanity, I'll stay "crazy," thank you. Their vision of sanity requires a bit too much denial -- if not actively rewriting -- of reality.

Oh, and as for a true (not media made-up) perspective of the real difference in size between the Beck rally and Stewart-Cobert's 'rally of the crazies' check out this image that doesn't lie.

Related: Please watch this video

Posted by Richard at October 31, 2010 9:27 AM

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