Mr Islam said the decision to deny him entry on grounds of national security was “very serious and wholly unfounded” and he wants an explanation.

His Washington-bound flight was diverted to Maine on Tuesday and he was told to leave the country by the FBI.

He said a legal process had been put in place to find out what had happened.

In a statement Mr Islam said: “Never would I believe that such a thing could happen in the ‘land of the free’ – unfortunately, it did.

Dude, you got what you deserved. I mean, Yusuf Islam? That stupid beard? What the fuck were you thinking? And Tea For The Tillerman totally sucked balls.