British composer and performer of Muslim religious chants of Azerbaijani descent Sami Yusuf will give his first concert in Moscow within the framework of his Salaam Tour 2014. He will perform his best songs in Moscow's largest Crocus City Hall on April 4.

Sami Yusuf is primarily known as a performer of Islamic nasheeds (religious chants). His debut album "Al-Mu’allim" instantaneous gave him the status of one of the best performers in the genre.

Sami Yusuf was born in Tehran in 1980 to Iranian Azerbaijani parents. His family moved to Great Britain when his was three, and they still live there. Since his early childhood, Sami Yusuf has been studying Middle Eastern and classical music with his father (a composer) and his teachers from the Royal Academy of Music in London. These studies helped him develop unique voice that made him famous across the world.

His first two albums were sold in more than one and a half million copies, and placed in the top of the charts in Turkey and the Arab world. Sami Yusuf often goes on tours, and up to this time his largest concert took place in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2007: it was attended by more than 200 000 people. Another evidence of his popularity are his videos on YouTube, some of which gather more than 10 million views.

Sami Yusuf's works range from rhythmical songs devoted to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to ballads about the suffering of Palestinians, Iraqis and the Sudanese. Being loyal to the true teachings of Islam, he denounces all forms of extremism and brings forward the message of tolerance, moderation and hope. He considers struggle with oppressors a duty of every Muslim, no matter the religion of the oppressed. In his songs, he denounces terrorists who killed children in Beslan and French authorities who banned hijab in schools. "I don't believe in clash of civilizations. I believe in clash of uncivilized men," said Yusuf in one of his interviews.

It's not the first time Sami Yusuf comes to Russia. His last year's concert in Kazan brought together several thousand people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds.

According to the organizers, at the coming concert Sami Yusuf will sing in Arabic, Turkish and English, and most of the songs will come from his album "Salaam", which was released in 2012.