Remembering the Days of the Old Schoolyard

Yusuf Islam (formerly pop star Cat Stevens) to mark 20th anniversary of his Islamia Schools with night of song and celebration at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Remembering the Days of the Old Schoolyard

Yusuf Islam (formerly pop star Cat Stevens) to mark 20th anniversary of his Islamia Schools with night of song and celebration at the Royal Albert Hall on 20th October 2003.

This month Britain's foremost Muslim School, Islamia, will celebrate 20 years of excellence at the Royal Albert Hall. A 'Night of Remembrance' cultural evening of song and words will bring together a wonderful array of artists, including Yusuf Islam, the founder of Islamia.

Yusuf Islam, world renowned 70's singer Cat Stevens, will personally host the event, presenting a selection of artists from his multi-media label, Mountain of Light. In a rare appearance he will speak and perform along with a talented blend of celebrities and other performers from around the world, punctuated by films and brief messages from special guests, including Prince Naseem Hamed.

"There are few things more worthy of celebrating than education," said Islam. "Education is a great liberator," he continued, "and we hope the schooling provided at Islamia these past twenty years has avoided the prescriptive approach in favour of giving our children the ability to use their own minds and encouraging their desire to learn and serve God and humanity."

"I once wrote: 'Remember the days of the old schoolyard, we used to laugh a lot...,'" remarked Islam. "We need to put the joy as well as the spirit back into learning," he explained.

For further details, visit http://www.nightofremembrance.org

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NOTE TO EDITORS

Cat Stevens was one of the biggest solo artists of the 1960s and 1970s, penning such songs as Moonshadow, Wild World and Father and Son and selling millions of LPs. Following a bout of TB early in his career he undertook an ongoing search for peace and ultimate spiritual truth. He embraced Islam in 1977 and changed his name to Yusuf Islam.

Since 1993 he has once again turned his attention to the recording studio. His most recent mainstream contribution was to War Child UK's 'Hope' album for which he re-worked his 1971 classic, 'Peace Train'.

This year Yusuf Islam has been awarded the World Social Award for his humanitarian relief work helping children. Previous recipients of a World Awards honour include Pope John Paul II, Sir Paul McCartney, Steven Spielberg, and Luciano Pavarotti.