And he concludes that “People don’t have to associate Islam with fear and sadness. Why is that the only image of Islam in the media?”
“African singer criticized by Muslims plays in NYC,” by Verena Dobnik for Associated Press, June 7:
NEW YORK (AP) — An African music star who ignited worldwide controversy among fellow Muslims with one of his albums was in the city Saturday to perform at an arts festival aimed at spreading a deeper understanding of Islam.
“I want to show the true face of Islam — a religion in which people can dance, even enjoy,” Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour said over lunch in Harlem, where children mobbed him with adoration in the streets. “People don’t have to associate Islam with fear and sadness. Why is that the only image of Islam in the media?”[…]
N’Dour insists on performing religious-themed music in his vibrant, African rhythm-driven shows — despite a boycott of his 2004 album “Egypt” in his native Senegal that lasted almost two years. The album initially was banned in Egypt, with Muslims accusing N’Dour of “desecrating” Islam by mixing it with secular pop culture; some even spread false rumors that he used naked women in videos.[…]
N’Dour said he hopes the documentary will help him “to break a taboo subject — that Islam is what the extremists do.”