11-11-2004, 05:15 PM
<b>Ex-Cat Stevens is honored as 'Man for Peace'</b>
Indianapolis Star: November 11, 2004
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev honored the singer once known as Cat Stevens with a peace prize Wednesday, praising him for charity work and for standing by his convictions.
Yusuf Islam was awarded the "Man for Peace" prize in Rome. He last made headlines in September, when he turned up on Washington's no-fly list for having suspected ties to terrorists -- a claim he has strongly denied.
The "Peace Train" singer, who largely gave up music after converting to Islam, mused about the strangeness of being barred from one country while being honored in another.
"Perhaps it's part of the irony that sometimes you have to go through a test in order to achieve a prize," he told reporters.