Interesting People mailing list archives
more on Cat Stevens deported due to a typo
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 19:43:00 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com> Date: September 26, 2004 6:29:38 PM EDT To: dave () farber net Cc: lauren () vortex com Subject: Re: [IP] more on Cat Stevens deported due to a typo Dave, actually, that brief "Time" article -- which is being widely quoted -- can easily be interpreted in a very different way. That is, that the U.S. did *indeed* intend on stopping the person commonly known as Cat Stevens (note that the government continues to assert that *he* is the one about whom they have unspecified, secret "security concerns"). The typo issue seems to revolve around the matter of why he was allowed to board the plane in the first place, not on if Cat Stevens (under whatever name with whatever spelling) was supposed to be allowed to fly at all. The issue of whether or not he should be on the no-fly list in any form (which is what Straw is talking about) appears to be an orthogonal issue. Viewed this way, the government may still be asserting that they got their man, only a bit late (after the plane took off). Here's the key graf, what do you think? The Yusuf Islam incident earlier this week, in which the former Cat Stevens was denied entry into the U.S. when federal officials determined he was on the government's "no-fly" antiterror list, started with a simple spelling error. According to aviation sources with access to the list, there is no Yusuf Islam on the no-fly registry, though there is a "Youssouf Islam." The incorrect name was added to the register this summer, but because Islam's name is spelled "Yusuf" on his British passport, he was allowed to board a plane in London bound for the U.S. The Transportation Safety Administration alleges that Islam has links to terrorist groups, which he has denied; British foreign minister Jack Straw said the TSA action "should never have been taken." --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 http://www.pfir.org/laurenCo-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://www.vortex.com/lauren-blog - - -
From: John Levine <johnl () iecc com> Date: September 26, 2004 4:01:13 PM EDT To: dave () farber net Cc: Subject: Re: [IP] Cat Stevens deported due to a typo http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,702062,00.html Yesterday's online edition of Time says that the name on the no-fly list was Youssouf Islam, not Yusuf Islam. They were looking for somebody else. I suppose that puts him in good company with at least three members of Congress and (according to the same article) an air marshall who wasn't allowed to fly for several weeks due to a similar mistake. Regards, John Levine, johnl () taugh com, Taughannock Networks, Trumansburg NY http://www.taugh.com -------------------------------------
------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
Current thread:
- more on Cat Stevens deported due to a typo David Farber (Sep 26)