Rick Warren Now Cozier With Islam?

(WND – October 8, 2013) Megachurch pastor Rick Warren, who often has drawn criticism in the Christian community regarding his engagement with Islam, is stirring the pot again.

This time he’s tweeted about a visit from Yusuf Islam, who was Cat Stevens before he became a radical Muslim.

On his @RickWarren account, Warren said: “Legendary Cat Stevens came by to see me today as I worked at home on a sermon.” The tweet includes an image of the two:

Rick Warren Cat Stevens

The statement immediately drew a reaction from Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, who noted Stevens enthusiastically endorsed the Ayatollah Khomeini’s death fatwa against author Salman Rushdie in 1989 for insulting Islam.

“Who knew that Rick Warren and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) were this close?” Spencer wrote. “Did they sing a few choruses of Cat’s nasheed that contains the lines, ‘I’m praying to Allah to give us victory over the kuffar?’”

Spencer said he was not surprised, however, noting Warren previously has addressed the convention of the Hamas- and Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic Society of North America.

Warren, Spencer said, also “apologized to Muslims, but wasn’t sure what for” and now “he is palling around with Mr. Peace Train” in the name of “dialogue” and “interfaith outreach.”

Spencer quoted from a 1989 New York Times report of Stevens’ response when asked about attending a demonstration to burn an effigy of Rushdie: “I would have hoped that it’d be the real thing.”

Asked what he would do if Rushdie turned up on his doorstep looking for help, Stevens said: “I might ring somebody who might do more damage to him than he would like.”

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