"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

Halal food and no alcohol as Wembley hosts Muslim Live8

There will be no sex, drugs or rock and roll at Wembley Arena tomorrow night. The venue's 200-seat restaurant - sample dish: pork loin with mash - will be closed and converted to a prayer room, and alcohol has been banned from the premises.The charity pop concert for Darfur has been described as a Muslim Live8 and features artists who, although unknown to mainstream audiences and record companies in Britain, have sold millions of albums in Muslim-majority countries.It is the first event of its kind to be held at Wembley and special arrangements are in place for the 10,000 people expected. The start time was changed from 5.30pm to 6.30pm after the organisers, Awakening Entertainment, realised that thousands of people would rush out to pray at 5.59pm. To respect Islamic dietary requirements - and for one night only - Wembley will be dry and halal.Sharif Banna, from Awakening, said the concert would be an eye-opener for non-Muslims."People want to see what this show is about."We think they'll enjoy the music and the songs, even the ones that are specifically Islamic in content. Figures from the music industry are also coming. They're not clued up on this scene. They know Bollywood and Middle Eastern music but they're unfamiliar with the new generation of Muslim western artists. Yusuf Islam is unique because of his history, but this concert will give a different perspective on this niche market."Headlining the show is singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf, 27, who has sold 3m albums and is a household name in Turkey, Egypt and the Gulf states, where he needs bodyguards and blacked-out windows to protect him from being mobbed by fans. In London this month, he spoke about his fact-finding trip to Darfur and urged fellow Muslims to confront the genocide in the region."Our objective is to raise money and awareness of this humanitarian crisis amongst British Muslims. I'm flattered by the comparisons to Bob Geldof and Bono but I don't see myself like that."His latest song - Asma Allah - is a recitation of the 99 names of Allah and the official video has been viewed 174,246 times on YouTube. His material, which focuses on spiritual and social issues such as the prophet Muhammad and hijab, is not the pop anthems normally heard at Wembley.Tonight's performers are the Police, and in two weeks' time chubby rocker Meatloaf will be at Wembley Arena singing about bats out of hell.Other artists on tomorrow's lineup include Kareem Salama, America's only Muslim country and western singer, and Outlandish, an award-winning multi-faith hip-hop group from Denmark.

As in the days of Noah...