Yusuf/Cat Stevens cancels book tour after being denied US visa

Pro-Palestine musician Yusuf/Cat Stevens has been forced to cancel his book tour in North America in October after he was not granted a visa for the US in time.

The iconic singer waited months for a visa that was not granted in order to promote his autobiography, Cat on the Road to Find Out, in the US. His autobiography charts both his musical and spiritual journeys.

Stevens was due to visit Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as Toronto.

In a social media announcement on his Instagram and Facebook media channels last week, he said: "Sadly, my Book Tour in the US and Canada looks like it won’t go ahead as scheduled in October.

"Waiting months for visa approvals, we held out as long as we could. However, at this point, the production logistics necessary for my show cannot be arranged in time.

"I am really upset! Not least for my fans who have bought tickets and made travel plans to see me perform."

He said that North American audiences could still experience a tour if visa approvals come through later.

However, he added that any potential future dates "would be some time away because of other travel tour plans".

It is not clear why he has not been granted a visa, nor whether he will eventually be granted one.

The singer, however, has been vocal about Israel's war on Gaza. In one post on X on 5 August, he wrote: "Who's leading us... and where?

"The leaders of the so called 'civilised world' are setting course for a dangerously imbalanced world, where international law is leapfrogged, for the benefit and advancement of elite fully politically armed states, and their selfish economical interests."

In another post on X on 31 July, he wrote: "Child tormentors are damned by the tongue of Jesus (peace be upon him)."

The US State Department told Middle East Eye it could not comment on why Stevens' visa was denied: "Due to visa record confidentiality, we have no comment with respect to specific cases."

They did not respond to a question about whether a visa was likely to be granted in the near future.

Stevens was previously denied entry to the United States in 2004 "on national security grounds".

While he was travelling to Washington DC, the plane he was on was diverted to Maine. He was escorted off the flight by FBI agents and sent back to the UK.

Stevens first rose to fame in the 1960s with songs he wrote, such as Matthew and Son and The First Cut is the Deepest. Some of his biggest hits include Wild World, Moonshadow and Father and Son, among several others. In the 1970s, he recorded several best-selling albums, including Tea for the Tillerman, Catch Bull at Four and Teaser and the Firecat.

He converted to Islam in 1977 and took time away from music, returning to the music scene in 1995.

His song Peace Train became Stevens’ first US top 10 hit, and he has garnered an international reputation for being a peace activist.