Cultural Event #5

This afternoon, I explored an attention grabbing, and very interactive website. Through a link in Professor Rob Burton's blog, I found the Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam site. Before entering the site, I didn't know what to expect. My only guess was that it would talk about a man named Cat Stevens or Yusuf Islam. I discovered that I was correct, but I also came to see a website like no other. The depth of this website cannot be compared to any site out there.

The home page interests the viewer by showing a picture of Yusuf/Cat Stevens drinking tea by himself. He appears to be deeply engaged in thought, as most artists do. Of course, his guitar is in his presence, because I soon learned of this man's incredible talent. This talent I learned for a fact, since I got plenty of music samples in the site. His sunglasses and long beard gave him a truly unique look. The opening news on the home page informs us of the Mosques for Children in Need Program that Yusuf is apart of. So my first impression of the man was very positive. Here, he also discusses the importance of charitable donations, and how helping the poor is the very essence of Islam and the Prophet's merciful example.

As you enter the site, the catchy music begins. An interesting toon that will likely to be replaying in my head through Thanksgiving came on. The icon that reads, "sing" took me to a location that displays the most decorated studio apartment I have ever seen. It is full of color, and has a multicultural taste. The catch to this site is the icon that represent places to explore. The newspaper on the coffee table took me to a link that gave the news on Yusuf's upcoming events. Such events include cafe sessions, concerts, charity events, award ceremonies, and other live shows. Yusuf makes music on his guitar, and is apparently quite popular.

The next icon I clicked on was the gallery, which took me over to none other than a little picture frame. Here, I saw some more pictures of Yusuf, and they all pictured him in different outfits. In one of them, he appeared to be praying in a rope that Muslims may perhaps pray in. In that case, he probably wears it five times a day. The icon by his guitar and the drums takes to a sign up sheet, in which people can become Mes Amis Members. I didn't sign up, but it all contributes to the high level of insight this web page gives on his music.

Perhaps the most interesting icon was by this little oriental statue. It was titled, "FAQ." Here, viewers can read some questions concerning controversy that has plagued Yusuf. Some of them included, "Does Yusuf oppose free speech?" And "did he say kill Rushdie?" Yusuf answers each question, and provides short yet direct responses to nearly a dozen questions. It provided a bit of background to this man's life and career. They titled this section, "Mr. Ho Ho's FAQ."

I really got the impression that Yusuf is a peaceful person, and wants people to understand his standpoint on some of the issues that concern him. Converting to Islam seemed to be a huge part of his life, and his pictures send the message that he is a great entertainer, and probably a wonderful man. His music certainly is great. I listened to a sample in the audio icon by the record player. I also checked out his biography in order to get a little bit of his life story, and his 28 year music history. There were plenty of other icons and links to go even deeper into this incredibly interactive site. You can even shop on this page! I recommend a visit of this page to anyone who wants to see something very different than than norm that the Internet provides.