Yusuf Islam holds concert at MIA Park

British Muslim singer Yusuf Islam expressed happiness to have his first concert in the Middle East in Doha, Qatar. Islam said in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Thursday on the sidelines of a his concert held at the open theatre of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park , "In spite of my multiple visits to the Middle East, this is the first time I perform in a concert," noting that previous visits were limited to lectures, participation in special seminars or charity projects and so on. About the concert programme tonight, Yusuf Islam who embraced Islam in 1977, said he will be performing a number of Islamic nasheeds and songs of its own. The musical evening or concert began with a reception for dignitaries. Then he sang a group of the most beautiful religious songs, amid admiration of the audience. Yusuf Islam has surprised his fans pay tribute tonight to provide a religious nasheed entitled, Tala Al-Badru Alyina Min Thanyat Alwadaa, composed and distributed in a new and different way, and sang a group of his own songs, which called for peace between humans and the tolerance of religions amid the warm applause and admiration of the fans attending his concert. Referring to the shirt he was wearing, with "peace Train" written on it, he said "This is the name of a song made ''''in 1970, and its lyrics tell how the world would be better, as it praises the values'''' of peace and tolerance," adding that these are the values to be adopted by a serious artist. Asked about his vision about the oriental music, Yusuf Islam said, "There is something special about oriental music. My Father who lived in Alexandria Loved music and he had a beautiful voice, which I inherited from him. I always long for Oriental music and i listen to Umm Kulthum. What I do not like about some Eastern artists is to try to blindly imitate the West, I believe that every art has its own color, specificity and beauty, and the artist must strive towards improvement and, at the same time, maintaining identity. Yusuf Islam was born in London to a Greek Cypriot father and a Swedish mother. Formally known as Cat Stevens, he was one of the biggest solo artists of the ‘60s and ‘70s, selling more than 60mn albums with hits including, Father and Son, Wild World, Peace Train and many more. Following a serious illness and after a near-drowning incident, he received a translation of the Holy Qur’an and after reading it he converted to Islam in 1977 in which he found peace and universal understanding. He decided to withdraw from the music industry at his peak and changed his name to Yusuf Islam beginning a new life.