SHORT TAKES : Israel Bars Cat Stevens

TEL AVIV, Israel — Former pop singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was barred from entering the country Sunday by passport officials.

Airport officials said Islam, who took his name after converting to the Muslim faith, was turned away as “an undesirable” along with his 8-year-old son, Mohammed, after their British Airways jet landed about 4 a.m.

They were met on arrival by passport officials and held at the airport about four hours until the flight returned to London, officials said.

One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Islam and his son accepted the decision quietly. The passport agents were acting on instructions from the Interior Ministry, he said.