POSTED: 11:25 am EST January 7, 2005

WASHINGTON — As far as the U.S. government is concerned, the former Cat Stevens is still a baddie.

Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens

Yusuf Islam is still barred from entering the United States because of intelligence that identifies him as a security threat. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the intelligence is the same and the reasons the U.S. rejected Yusuf Islam several months ago still exist.

Islam was removed from a flight from London to Washington in September because of suspected ties to terrorists. Islam has denied those allegations and has tried to get his name off the no-fly list.

Islam is a peace activist who has criticized the war in Iraq. He has also criticized terrorist acts by Muslims, including the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the deadly school seizure in Beslan, Russia.

Following a string of hits in the 1960s and ’70s, including “Wild World” and “Morning Has Broken,” the musician abandoned his career and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law. He founded a Muslim school in London in 1983.