Sir. I was sent a copy of a letter printed in The Irish Times (January 11th) where it implies that buying a copy of the Boyzone's version of Father and Son, indirectly is supporting the Fatwa placed on Salman Rushdie in 1989; this is because it happens to have been written by Cat Stevens, my ex pseudonym. Actually, the writer of the letter can rest assured, not a single penny is wasted on the Fatwa issue, most goes to charity and support for educational institutions and schools. Perhaps it might be of benefit to print my original statement made when I finally released an album, The Life of the Last Prophet, at the end of last year, breaking my silence after 17 years out of the recording studios.
Hopefully, your reader, Mr Stephen Place, will also give me further information about the "boycott" against me in the US, as it seems to directly contradict the sacred "First Amendment" which he so fervently wants us all to support, i.e., the freedom of expression. - Yours, etc.,
Digswell Street,
London.