The former pop star, Cat Stevens, has given his first concert since converting to Islam 20 years ago.

The British singer - now known as Yusuf Islam - performed in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. He took part in a concert celebrating the survival of Bosnia's Muslim community during the country's conflict.

He sang his songs of the deprivation and loss of war with passion, but without instruments. He threw them away 20 years ago after converting to Islam and renouncing everything he saw as un-Islamic.

On the evidence of his Sarajevo appearance, his voice has lost none of its simple melodious charm or power. The city's concert arena was packed with thousands of spectators.

He first heard about Bosnian music towards the end of the war from Dr Irfan Lubiankic, a Bosnian minister visiting Britain. Dr Lubiankic handed over a cassette of a song called "I have no cannon that roars". Dr Lubiankic died shortly after, when his helicopter was shot down by Serb gunners.

That song has become the singer's new theme and he has given notice that his life in music may not, after all, be a thing of the past.

He said music helped strengthen the spirit of survival among Bosnian Muslims and has given him a new lease of life.

"It awakened in me some kind of feeling of inspiration to do something again. I don't think that means necessarily that I'm coming back, because I'm not going back, I'm sort of going forward, you know."

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