Cat Stevens receives Nobesl "Man Of Peace" prize in Rome

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev honored the singer once known as Cat Stevens with a peace prize on Wednesday, praising him for charity work and for standing by his convictions despite personal hardships.

Yusuf Islam was awarded the "Man for Peace" prize in Rome at the opening of a meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. He last made headlines in September, when he turned up on Washington's no-fly list for having suspected ties to terrorists -- a claim he has strongly denied.

The "Peace Train" singer, who largely gave up music after converting to Islam in the late 1970s, mused about the strangeness of being barred from one country while being honored in another.

"Perhaps it's part of the irony that sometimes you have to go through a test in order to achieve a prize," he told reporters. "So maybe that's a symbol. Today I'm receiving a prize for peace, which is actually, I would say, a bit more descriptive of my ideas and my aims in life."

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We should all take a look at what our American government is doing. Isn't it odd that a man suspect of terrorism by our government, wins the coveted Nobel "Man Of Peace" prize from one of the worlds most respected institutions? Not to be confused with the Nobel peace prize. (from the same institution)