Yusuf Islam to honour child refugees in London gig
Yusuf Islam to honour child refugees in London gig
British singer Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, is to hold a charity gig in London and release a new single drawing attention to the plight of lone child refugees.
2 min read
Yusuf Islam's gig is set for June 14 at London's Central Hall Westminster [NBC]
Singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, is to hold a rare concert in London to shed light on the struggles of lone child refugees.
The artist's gig is set for June 14 at London's Central Hall Westminster, just yards from the Houses of Parliament where British lawmakers voted in April against accepting 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees.
The singer is also expected to release a new single entitled He was Alone, following a young refugee boy who eventually dies on the road and his nameless grave stone is marked with "a boy" [walad].
"While the world faces incomprehensible numbers and statistics created by the refugee crisis, the tragedy and story of a single soul gets missed," Yusuf Islam said on his charity site.
"It was difficult to stand by just watching this tragedy without trying to do something," the singer said.
"I simply decided to help humanise the narrative and lend my voice to the call for keeping hearts and doors open to every refugee, especially youngsters, who have lost what future they might have once hoped for," he added.
Tickets to the charity concert #YouAreNotAlone went on sale on Monday.
It is estimated that around 95,000 unaccompanied child refugees have applied for asylum in Europe in last year.
The Europol, EU's criminal intelligence agency, confirmed earlier this year that 10,000 child refugees had vanished after reaching Europe.
The agency fears many had been abducted by criminal syndicates.
Watch here: He Was Alone by Yusuf Islam
Tickets to the charity concert #YouAreNotAlone went on sale on Monday.
It is estimated that around 95,000 unaccompanied child refugees have applied for asylum in Europe in last year.
The Europol, EU's criminal intelligence agency, confirmed earlier this year that 10,000 child refugees had vanished after reaching Europe.
The agency fears many had been abducted by criminal syndicates.
Watch here: He Was Alone by Yusuf Islam
