Yusuf Islam, the folk musician known as Cat Stevens before he converted to Islam, was interviewed by CNN on the occasion of his first concert in Los Angeles in 33 years:
CNN: Obama seems to be reaching out to people of all faiths around the world.
Yusuf: I think a person like Obama has some kind of faith in his special role that he has to perform. And that role—if not prophetic—it’s a divine role. It’s helping humanity and people get together and live together and prosper. That’s a big demand on one person, so it cannot happen with him alone. There’s going to have to be a lot of changes around the world. But it is happening.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…