- Title: ISRAEL-SAMI YUSUF Sami Yusuf performs in Nazareth
- Date: 6th July 2015
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF THE ISRAELI ARAB CITY OF NAZARETH, EMAN OMARI, SAYING: "We came here to attend the concert of Sami Yusuf and we are so happy to have him. We welcome him here, we support him and we wish him the best this Ramadan. All the audience members that are here today are happy to have him. Everybody loves him and we came for him."
- Embargoed: 21st July 2015 13:00
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- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAAX1PX9HE647UN7YYCS1G3UP52
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- Story Text: British singer Sami Yusuf, famous for his songs about Islam, performed a concert in the Israeli Arab city of Nazareth on Sunday (July 5).
His trip to Nazareth comes during the holy month of Ramadan, an apt time for Yusuf to perform the music that he says is a reflection of his religious beliefs.
"I'm a lover of the sacred, I'm a lover of tradition, I'm a lover of culture, so my music is an extension of that, you know, it's an extension of, it's a way for me to glorify my creator," he said.
Yusuf, born in Tehran, immigrated to Britain with his parents at the age of three, and grew up in London.
Despite the religious theme in his music, Yusuf says it's not easy to define the genre of music he plays.
"I don't like to call it Islamic music because, that's a subject, that's a deep subject in itself, Islamic music has a place, it comes from the sufi 'Tareeqas, al-Toroq' (practices) it's very complicated, very deep," he said.
"What we're suffering from, I think, globally, is the modern world tends to look down at the past, tends to look down at tradition, I think there's much to learn from traditional wisdom, there's much to learn from the great traditions of this world, the religions of this world," the singer added.
Yusuf released his first album "Al-Muallim," in 2003 and although sung in English with select Arabic phrases addressed to Muslims in the West, to his surprise it found success in the Arab world.
Fans who came to see his Nazareth concert were full of praise for the singer.
"Sami Yusuf himself is an idol. Honestly, he is my favourite (singer). (I listen to him) 24 hours (a day) because of his songs, lyrics and his character. Of course I wouldn't have missed this day," said fan Balsam Kabaha.
"We came today because we love him, we love his songs and we tell him that he's amongst his people, the Palestinian people. We stand in solidarity with him, we support him and we thank him for coming here," said Leen Omari at the concert.
"We came here to attend the concert of Sami Yusuf and we are so happy to have him. We welcome him here, we support him and we wish him the best this Ramadan. All the audience members that are here today are happy to have him. Everybody loves him and we came for him," added fan Eman Omri.
Yusuf's second album, "My Ummah," was released in 2005, his third, "Wherever You Are," in 2010, and his fourth, "Salaam," in 2012. His official website says of his newly launched fifth studio album "The Centre" that the lyrics are 'nostalgic but optimistic', and the album draws upon a 'diverse use of images, concepts, sounds and languages'.
Yusuf has previously said his influences include Bruce Springsteen, George Michael and Elton John.
The multi-million album-selling artist became a United Nations World Food Programme Global Ambassador Against Hunger in 2014. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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