Cat Stevens' comments about Salman Rushdie Some commentators have concluded that the character "Bilal X" in Rushdie's book is a caricature of Yusuf Islam. The fictional character Bilal X, a successful African-American former pop singer who has converted to Islam, is portrayed by Rushdie as the "favoured lieutenant" of "the Imam", a character based on the Shia Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Bilal X's "well-nourished, highly trained" voice serves as "a weapon of the West turned against its makers." Cat Stevens' comments about Salman Rushdie Following Ayatollah Khomeini's 14 February 1989 death fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, after the publication of Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses", Yusuf Islam,
Ayatollah Haj Muhammmad-Hassan Jazayeri was a classmate of Ayatollah Khomeini when at quran school. At the age of 40, he was invited to Ahvaz to be the Supreme Religious leader of all the Imams of Khuzestan. He set the times of prayers (Aathaan) for Khuzestan. He had 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. He was very respected by the Shah of Iran Mohammmad Reza Pahlavi and his wife Farah Pahlavi. He led a very spiritual life and he was a very important Ayatollah in his time. He died in 1343 (1965) at the age of 73. He was buried in a tomb in