Talk:Sami Yusuf/Archive 1

Changes made of 20 January 2006
I have removed the link to Outlandish's web page as it has no real relevance to Sami Yusuf himself, I have also removed the category of 'Muslim preacher' as he is not really a preacher just a singer.M2k41 18:53, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Dear admin, Please remove "Iranian-British..." to "British singer/songwriter/composer of Azeri roots born in Tehran." Those who are stating otherwise have no proof whatsoever. It's based on pure conjecture and speculation. I request that this mistake be rectified asap. Thanks -

He has also preformed in Bosnia, during the bajram (EID.)

Ummah
Maybe someone can explain the meaning of Ummah?

Ummah means Muslim nation

MP

Ummah dont mean muslim nations, it means nation , groups that beleave anuone or anything in arabic. maybe arabs use it for other than islam too.

Ummah actually means "community", any group of people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.77.12.173 (talk) 01:47, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

NPOV
Is he Shiite? that should be in the article —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rokkafellah (talk • contribs) 05:01, 19 December 2007 (UTC) I have trouble with these two paragraphs in particular:

"His international status has taken a clear enhancement on the second album with the participation of the hugely successful genre-defining trio of Outlandish on the track "Try Not to Cry."

Use of the words of "clear" and "hugely" and "genre-defining" are value statements. "Hugely", if corroborated with statistics however, would become acceptable.

"It's a genre transcending album with melodies and lyrics that grab you after the very first listen-through. Clearly, Sami’s uniqueness is the special mix of different cultures and artistic influences that he beautifully blends into amazing songs not limited by narrow genres, but seamlessly combining several with ease. The new album deals with – amongst other things - issues such as unity, spirituality, sisters’ struggle to wear the scarf, terrorism, human brotherhood, faith, and songs about Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)."

"Genre transcending" is a value statement. "Grab you after the first listen-through" is another one. "Clearly" and "beautifully" "amazing" "seamlessly combining several with ease." Very much value statements. If you can get a music critic source corroborating this, that might be fine. Also use of "Prophet" and "(pbuh)" are NPOV because the wiki articles are designed to be neutral, not advocate one religious view over the other.

I also had a problem with: At present he is fast becoming a very popular figure in the Islamic world, with his harmonic voice and inspiring lyrics.

It would not be an exaggeration on to state that his music has reached millions of Muslims around the world. His songs can be heard in a cafe in damscus to the mall in Kuala Lumpur.

"In July 2003, British Muslim artist Sami Yusuf released his debut album Al Mu’allim to unprecedented acclaim and success. It was the first album by an Islamic artist to receive such success in Europe, North America, North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, and Asia, with hits like “Al Mu’allim”, “Who Is the Loved One”, and “Ya Mustafa” being on the tongues of Muslim children and adults from London to Casablanca, and from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur, making Sami a household name in all those regions, and selling over 1 million copies worldwide."

"making Sami a household name" seems like an unnecessary hyperbole. Further, "selling over 1 million copies worldwide" does not have a source backing it up.

"It would not be an exaggeration on to state that his music has reached millions of Muslims around the world. His songs can be heard in a cafe in damscus to the mall in Kuala Lumpur."

It would not be if it had statistics to show it. The last sentence is very much a hyperbole.

"At present he is fast becoming a very popular figure in the Islamic world, with his harmonic voice and inspiring lyrics."

"Inspiring" seems to be NPOV and "fast becoming a popular figure in the Islamic world" needs statistics to support it. 68.88.193.62 21:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Superscript text== Is he Iranian or Non- Iranian ? ==

The text says : " Sami Yusuf, is a British singer-songwriter of Azeri descent. He was born in July 1980 in Iran."

Azari(Azeri) Iranians -just like me !- have been an integral part of Iran since the beginning of time :all of the history of the Azari(Azeri) ethnicity is a part of Iranian history and culture.

I can't understand the above mentioned sentence : does it means his father and mother were citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan who lived in Iran ? or does it means they were Iranian with Azari ethnicity ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.207.245.208 (talk) 18:08, 4 January 2007 (UTC).


 * He is Iranian Azeri and was born in Iran. I corrected it. --Pejman47 01:56, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Zahra :Salam i wanted to suggest that if you can please stop writing samis born name, because if he wanted others to know it he probably would have revaeled it, and by what you are doing you're invading his privacy and not respecting his right.So please take this into consideration wasalam

Sami is what he says he is: A British Singer/composer/lyricist/musician. PLEASE do not speculate and spread false rumours. Respect whatever he has mentioned and go by that. Thanks

Zahra: Yes brother you're right he wants to be known as a British Muslim Artist, but this doesnt erase the fact that he said he was born/originally from Persia(Iran).You are absolutely right, but we have to get our facts straight, because he is certainly not ORIGINALLY British.

Sister, there is a difference between English and British... Sami Yusuf is British, and that's that:) And he is an ORIGINAL one 9whatever that means). English he's not, but British he is:)


 * The current version suggests that he is still an Iranian musician, which is not true. "Sami Yusuf is British singer-songwriter of Azeri descent who was born in Iran." would be better.  Will wait for feedback before editing. Teyande 10:29, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Yes brother i undrestand your point and yes he does consider himself British/Western/European Muslim, but again theres a difference between Nationality and Originality. He's Nationality is British, but he is originally Iranian. Northwestern Iran consists of Eastern and Western Azerbaijan, Sami said that his grandfathers came from the Republic of Azerbaijan and settled in Tabriz, Azerbaijan which is presently located in Iran. So they have probably been generations in Iran, before sami went to UK. His name is Siamak (Iranian-rooted name). In his interviews if you listen closely he does say that he can speak farsi and english fluently and azeri 80%, so would it make sense that an Azeri person who is Only from Republic of Azerbaijan would come and learn farsi, without even having an influence. If you go to Islamonline.net, there he is interviewed and he talks about a Persian proverb that his father taught him, and that is,"dast balaye dast besiyaar ast". Anyways he also speaks about how his father reads Masnavi Mowlavi,as you know Masnavi Molavi is by Rumi a famous Persian Poet who wrote his poetry all in Farsi.There are also other reasons, yet it is better unmentioned.

Look, the way I see it is why don't you just let go and get a life?? No offense, but if he 'felt' Iranian he would say he was Iranian. Don't spread rumours about the guy. He is whatever he says he is and nothing ewill change that. He has stated that he is a British Muslim, that's that:) Why are you Iranian people insisting to claim him?? He is for ALL huimanity, not jut for Iran.

I would bet ALL the bucks in the world that mpst of the people insisting he is Iranian are over enthusiastic Iranian fans:) Just let go guys. He's a proud Brit, leave it at that:)

Pejman, what is your problem?? Why are you spreading crap about Sami?? You jealous or maybe just sad cause your name isn't on wikipedia:) Get a life man, move on and STOP spreading lies!!!

Actually i agree with you and you're completely right, he's for all humanity, but facts remain as facts. And we never denied the FACT the he is British, and he probably does feel Iranian since he always talks about identity and culture, but maybe for political/religious reasons its better UNSAID. Actually its better not to stereotype that all Iranians are that, and the same way Britons are proud of him and insisting on it, and turks saying he is turkish, then let's face the truth! We're humans, and we like to take positive things on our side of the table, and hey we're greedy, thats not new to anyone, is it?! Nope. And I hope that if you are ever going to prove your point that he is ONLY British(originally), besides being somehow rude and offensive(to a certain culture, and nation) you could back up and support your views by some facts,( but we all know the facts that he is british and we're not arguing about that, we're disputing where he is from Originally). But let this discussion end, because this is not a matter of life-death. I appriciate your repetition of sami's british nationality!

He is british guys..... i have to say .. i find iranians quite sad people..... why u want him to b iranian???? just accept he is british.... and stop writing rubbish here coz it really gets on peoples nerves!

ahh, and by the way... i was born in kenya coz of my fathers work... but does it make me kenyan??? no!

har chand ke ba adabaneh darid javab midid, inha besyar tohin amiz ba shoma harf mizanand!

I wasn't born in Iran but I see myself pretty much Iranian & my children will be Iranian, no matter where they’ll be born with whatever passports they’re going to hold. You see, I have a country with rich history and culture to be proud of, some people don’t have that. If this guy doesn't want to be Iranian, let him be. He changed his Iranian name; let him change his ethnic as well. And I hope he stop copying our music if he doesn’t want to be one of us.

lol. Really this is silly. I don['t see what all the fuss is about. He states he is a British Muslim, so why can't you just accept that?? What you say about him copying Iranian music is not true because Sami has MANY influences and ALL who want to clain him say the same thing. Some Turks will say: "his music is Turkish" and Arabs will say his music is "Arabic." that fact is that our brother Sami is very talented and there are some people who are jealous of him and want to discredit and dishonour him. Others will tru to spread lies about him... He does not consider himself Iranian or Azerbaijani, he considers himself British and Muslim... This is the fact you have to accept and I request from Admin to take off 'British Iranian of Azeri roots..." as he is ONLY British and does not im almost 100% sure he doesnt have ANY other passport or nationality.

He is a British Muslim and I think it should left at that. Thanks (unsigned comment left by User:Ahmad1977)

Ahmad, about copying music, have you heard of 'Puran' singing 'Mola Mamad jan'? This is a famous song in Iran and 'Allah Allah' by Sami sounds exactly like Puran. That song wasn't influenced. It was a copy.

Did you say we want to dishonour him or discredit him? Are you saying by mentioning Iran we discredit or dishonour him? Thank you for making something clears for me, now I can understand when Saddam attacked Iran why so many Muslim countries were supporting him. And even when he used chemical weapons on Iranians the entire Muslim world was in silence… British tax helped him financially and even now those taxes help a war against Iraqis. I’m just glad to come across this page to see the real world and real Muslims. Good luck to you all


 * His own official website writes in several places, including in the referenced Time/CNN article : "A British citizen born in Iran to Azeri parents, Yusuf spent most of his life in London." Thus, the CNN/Time wording is the best, which should be used in the page -- it is not understandeable, why, contrary to his wish, his self-perception, his own website, and Wikipedia article's reference to that URL, the quote would be distorted to "Sami Yusuf is a Iranian-British singer-songwriter of Azeri descent."


 * See also this self-description: "Azerbaijan - for your love of life, music, spirituality and for giving me a presidential welcome upon my return to my native homeland."


 * "His family is Azeri by origin."


 * "Brought up in London, of Azeri descent, 25-year-old Yusuf has achieved celebrity status in Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt." --AdilBaguirov 00:36, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't think we have a problem here. The lead seems fine as it is. He is British, because he has the passport. He is Iranian, because he was born there. And finally he is Azeri because of his ethnic background. End of story --Rayis 00:47, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * How about we say "Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter of Iranian Azeri heritage"? Khoikhoi 00:49, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

That's the best way. To say: "Sami Yusuf is a British singer/songwriter/composer of Azeri heritage" This would be correct and spot on!! And then we could mention he was born in iran, that's fine too. My problem is with the phrase "Sami Yusuf is an British-Iranian..." this is grossly wrong as he is not Iranian in citizenship or ethnicity, so why should he be called Iranian?????????????????? It confuses the hell out of me!

Sami Yusuf himself never calls himself Iranian or Persian. Instead, he always emphasizes that both of his parents are Azerbaijani, that they are from Azerbaijan, that he is of Azerbaijani descent, that his grandparents were from Azerbaijan (north of Araxes) and finally, as he peformed in Baku this past November 2006, he clearly said the following: "Azerbaijan - for your love of life, music, spirituality and for giving me a presidential welcome upon my return to my native homeland." Hence, we should quote him, as opposed to editorializing and making a big fuss out of an issue that's cut and dry. --AdilBaguirov 00:59, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * The quote you are referring to is to his fans from that country, not the context where he is introducing himself. Even so he was born in Iran, there is no reason to censor that information --Rayis 01:01, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Very interesting logic -- if this was just some empty words to his fans from "that country", why didn't he said such nice things to fans from other countries, such as Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, holland, Yemen, Germany, Saudi Arabia, USA and even UK?! You can mention he was born in Iran (indeed, that's mentioned twice in the article, see BIOGRAPHY), no one asks to "supress" that -- instead, we are asking not to supress the fact that he is Azerbaijani. Hence, I propose this wording:


 * "Sami Yusuf is an Azerbaijani singer-songwriter, who was born in Iran on July 1980, but is a British citizen and has spent most of his life in London."


 * We should also add that his grandparents are from Republic of Azerbaijan, and that he speaks and sings in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Urdu and English. --AdilBaguirov 01:15, 2 March 2007 (UTC)


 * The page is about the countries he has visited in a tour, of course he will say nice things about every country he has visited --Rayis 01:32, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

IF the CNN/TIME article is being used to claim that he is Iranian (because this is the article that's alwas used!!)  then people should quote from the article exactly as it's written: "A British citizen born in Iran to Azeri parents, Yusuf spent most of his life in London."  He is not Iranian because he doesn't have Iranian nationality and he has NEVER stated he is Iranian EVER! So, why are the Iranian fans insisting on it?? Therefore, the proper assertion should be "Sami Yusuf is a British singer/songwriter.composer born in Tehran to Azeri parents"

my dear, I don't know about "pooran" but "Allahu Allah" or "Hasbi Rabbi" is definitely 100% Afghani folklore originally... This is not new for Sami to sing different songs from different cultures: "Allahu" (Ghazali, Nusret Fetullah Khan), "Ya Mustafa" (Ghavali, from the Sabri brothers), "Creator" (Egyptian folklore), "Supplication" (originally Turkish). So, what do you have to say about that?? I don't want to arfue, I just want you to back-off from brother Sami being Iranian because he is British and he's poud of it. Jazakallah. God bless. Ahmad

That's the best way. To say: "Sami Yusuf is a British singer/songwriter/composer of Azeri heritage" This would be correct and spot on!! And then we could mention he was born in iran, that's fine too. My problem is with the phrase "Sami Yusuf is an British-Iranian..." this is grossly wrong as he is not Iranian in citizenship or ethnicity, so why should he be called Iranian?????????????????? It confuses the hell out of me!

I request from Admin and the moderators to change line to: "British singer/composer/songwriter of Azeri descent" as this would sound much closer to the truth. with all due respect to iranians, but to be honest I've found that most of those insisting he's "Iranian" are themselves iranian! As though they want to claim him for themselves thus making him also Iranian. Name me ONE interview where Sami has stated he is Iranian? Being born somewhere does not make 'from' there.

Iran has many ethnic groups (Persian, Azari, Kurd, Baluch, Lor, Bakhtiari, and …) He’s father is Iranian-Azari and his mother is Azari from Azerbaijan. According to his website and in his words: “My Azeri is not perfect, I speak English and Farsi and am planning to advance my Arabic and Islamic studies by going to Egypt for a year in September."

Changing his Iranian name, tell us 2 things:

1.	He doesn’t want to be judged by his background. Maybe he wants to avoid political issues surrounding in Middle East and specially Iran.

2.	He just wants to be known as a Muslim not a Shia Muslim and mentioning Iran, certainly wouldn’t help his case on that. Even though his Mother is Azerbaijani, and most of Azerbaijanis are Shia Muslims but many people don’t know about that.

Maybe he just wants to be judged by his music not by his background.

And maybe he just wants people like yourself to back-off and stop judging him. Sami's parents are irrelevent here and you shouldn't be discussing things if Sami has not mentioned (his names etc) as it will always remain a speculation until it is disclosed by Sami himself. He is a British Muslim of Azeri roots (his paternal grandparents migrated from Baku) and he is definitely NOT shia. Stop judging him and stop thinking you know him. We should go along with whatever the facts are and whatever he has disclosed himself. Im sure brother Sami holds a lot of respect for Iran (as he would for any other country) BUT that does not make him Iranian.

Or maybe you should back-off and learn some manners. As a Muslim you owe that to yourself.

Salam i have no argument about him being an iranian, that is a fact, but i wanted to know how you found out that his mother is from Azerbaijan?!Please provide me with your information, Thank you, God bless

Really?? Where are your facts about him being Iranian?? which article?? If you are refering to the CNN/TIME article it says "A British citizen born in Iran to Azeri parents, Yusuf spent most of his life in London." I am perfectly happy with that reference as it's true, but to state that he is "Iranian-British" is a clever manipulation of the truth of which brother Sami has NEVER recognised nor confirmed. So, once again i ask, where is your proof?? I won't back–off because i happen to love Sami and his music and I won't allow haters and jealous people like some here who obviously made it a mission to make him out to be an Iranian and spread lies about him! Tell me something, why don't you just accept what he has said?? Sami said that he's a British citizen of Azeri roots, so who are we to say otherwise?? On what authority and under what premis do you assert he's Iranian??? Brother Sami has lived in the UK for all his life and even if he spoke Farsi it wouldn't mean much because he's fluent in Arabic and also Turkish. I think this site is being vandalised by a few people (who are most definitely Iranians) who obviously hate Sami Yusuf and are trying their utmost to defame and ruin him.

Salam From the way our sis/bro talked (above paragraph)with all due respect, it shows your lack of interest in sami, because if you read enough about him you would CERTAINLY know that he surely is NOT fluent in Arabic or Turkish, if he was he would have said it in his interviews and wouldnt go to egypt for 2 years to learn it, as for his turkish, azeri may look like turkish but it still has its differences, you can ask turkish/azeri people what the differences are. Anyway bro, let me tell you something if i hate samiyusuf as a iranian, i would never memorize his songs,i would never ride 6 hours back and forth to go to his concert, neither would i search online to read more about him, and it is because i've read about him that im sure his Iranian. I have never denied the fact that he is British and yes ofcourse his proud it, he has made that quite clear for everyone to know. If you undrestood the point of this discussion you would never repeatedly bring up the point that he is British, because in this SPECIFIC discussion we're trying to find out where he is from Originally, meaning his roots, the blood that runs through his viens which come from his father and mother. It's not a matter of detesting him because he is British, or loving him because he is Iranian, it wouldnt matter if he is Iranian, but humans are curious creatures, the same way you're curious everyday to come and check this topic and reply! It is normal for any human to know every detail of a person he/she admires,because in that way you will feel more closer to that entity. Bro/Sis, there are reasons that we dont want to mention due to his iranian roots, and that is because he himself does not want his private issues being discussed by others, so US IRANIANS whom you say are Promoters of lies and rumours, have in fact respected his decision to keep quite about his fathers identity and him as well. Im not sure where you are from but from the way you speak and how you are very defensive yet intimadated by Iranians, i think is another reason why Sami doesnt want to show his iranian roots, because with all due respect personalities such as yourselve would not love sami as much as they do if they know his iranian/(or shia, but im not sure if he is shia or sunni,but either way he is Muslim in the end). You have to undrestand that if he doesnt talk about being an Iranian in his interviews it is due to political reasons and private issues which he probably doesnt want the whole world to know, thats called Taqqiyah, and inshallah we could further our discussions in a more respectable manner. But you know what let's leave it at this he's a Muslim, and nothing else should matter in this World or in the Akhira... Peace be upon you.

I'm happy to see that you have so much love for brother Sami - Masha Allah - something both us have in common. However, contrary to your view, I wouldn't care either way if he was Iranian or Ethiopian. What matters to me are his words and his is own self-perception and it's out of respect for him that we come here with the hope of clarifying things. I don't believe it's right to introduce sami on this site as an "Iranian-British with Azeri roots" this is something brother sami would probably not like as he has ALWAYS asserted that he's is British with Azeri roots. Tell me dear brother/sister, if we love our brother then shouldn't we go along with what he has said and not create so much confusion? As for his mother/father or any other member of his family or friends, he has always said that he discovered Islam/Iman in the West and I can tell you dear brother/sister that a person can be totally different to his own father/mother (which is the case usually). Every man is for himself and everyone will answer on the day of Qiyama for themself so it doesn't matter what 'private' information you may know about him because ONLY allah knows what's in peoples haerts. The main issue I have is that MANY people believe Wikipedia is in fact a proper encyclopedia thus using it as a reference at times! They don't know that everyone is free to change/delete and vandalise the information... I would like you and I (who are obviously fans) to request from the Administrators to change "Iranian-British of Azeri roots" TO "British singer/songwriter/composer of Azri roots born in Tehran." I believe this is closer to br. Sami's wishes. Dear brother/sister, if we love Sami then let's follow him and his words too (not just his music). I apologise if I offended any of our beloved Iranian brothers/sisters but I was just getting frustrated to why all of you guys were insisting he is Iranian if hasn't said so himself. Jazakallah

Salam Wallahi what you're saying is 100% right, and as always we have to respect the opinion of Bro Sami,and I hope inshallah that I havent hurted you in any single way through my writing, because surely that was not my neyyah. I believe the only plausible and accurate way to address sami is a British artist with azeri roots who was born in Iran,(as you yourself said), and honestly I'm not a nationalistic person of any sort, but I am one who searches, and due to what i've found out I've given an answer. But by God, it wouldnt matter to me a bit if he was Iranian or not, because the moment I heard his music(which was before I even knew he existed) and his interviews and discussions I knew for sure that he was one who Loves Allah and his Prophet, may Allah Swt bless him and you, and I hope we all become more united. Plus, I feel very ashamed of the way I reacted so please forgive me, because I feel very guilty. Allah Swt bless u wasalam PS.Dear Admin, If you can please change the description into,"Sami Yusuf is a British Artist with Azeri roots who was born in Tehran,Iran in 1980 and so on...."

'''Sami Yusuf is NOT Iranian...he is from Turkey. I saw his interview and he said that even though he is from Turkey he can't speak the language that well. Admin please change how it says he is from Iran on the profile, all you have to do is check his interview which on on youtube.com'''

If you can please provide us with the link that sami says, " Im from Turkey but i cant speak the language." Every claim needs a proof.

The ONLY possible thing that can be said is what he always stated and which was also echoed in the Times article that he is: ""A British citizen born in Iran to Azeri parents, Yusuf spent most of his life in London." . im afraid ANYTHING other than this is pure malice. Of course he isn't Iranian, if he was he would've said it! Don't you think he would have let us all know that????? I'm really suprised with Wikipedia. It seems it's being run by a few over-enthusiastic Iranian fans who are obviously dead fixed on the idea that he's an "Iranian." Please have it changed immediately as it really doesn't look good for the credibality of such a site.

His own official website writes in several places, including in the referenced Time/CNN article [1]: "A British citizen born in Iran to Azeri parents, Yusuf spent most of his life in London." Thus, the CNN/Time wording is the best, which should be used in the page -- it is not understandeable, why, contrary to his wish, his self-perception, his own website, and Wikipedia article's reference to that URL, the quote would be distorted to "Sami Yusuf is a Iranian-British singer-songwriter of Azeri descent." See also this self-description: "Azerbaijan - for your love of life, music, spirituality and for giving me a presidential welcome upon my return to my native homeland." [2] Well aid really!!

'''First off I am not Turkish or Iranian, all I'm saying is that I saw his interview he gave in Eqypt and he said that he was from Turkey but he cannot speak the language that well. I have no reason to lie, I'm just saying it is pretty immature for Iranians to claim him when he isnt from Iran.'''

Reasoning
As per an e-mail from Mr Yusuf, he was born in Tehran but explicitly does not consider himself Iranian.

I think that's definitive enough. DS 02:48, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you,but can you please show the email first that he does not consider himself iranian?! Please show us the email with the email address and all the necessary proof.


 * his email address is confidential and can not revealed. DS says that it is definitely him, and I don't have any reason not to believe him. --Pejman47 02:58, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Allright so can we at least see the email not the email address and any way it doesnt matter if he doesnt consider himself iranian, it doesnt change the fact that he is one. By the way, "Pejman" you were the first one to claim he is iranian, so how come your believing a 30-year old Canadian who has no relation with Sami Yusuf, and can "DragonflySixtySeven" please introduce himself a bit?!


 * I am on OTRS, the "people who answer Wikipedia's e-mail". Mr Yusuf did not address his e-mail to me specifically, but I'm the one who answered it, and I'm the one who's dealing with this. Since it's his personal e-mail, I'm not going to tell you the address, but I can tell you that it was from SamiYusuf.com, which is his official site. Good enough? DS 15:37, 24 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I still think that he is Iranian (at least ethnically), but if he doesn't want to be one, why not letting him decide his nationality? It is his right and I am not in a place to give any comment about the reason about his choice. and also read this: WP:BLP. and by the way DS don't have any interests in this case and is one of the Admins of Wikipedia and I think he tells the truth. please forget this case as I did--Pejman47 15:52, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Allright thank you for the info, so he emailed you through the awakening records email? Did he give any details of why or he just said that to change his discription? what i think is that its not important whether he is born in Iran or any where else and if he is sunni or shia or Azer what matters is that he is a muslim and singing Naats only for the Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H)thats it we should give any chance to the Non-believers of Islam and tell us that what kind of muslims are we that we are Quarelling b/w ourselves for a very simple matter so i personally advise that please stop talking about his ethinicity or birth place or British of Iranian matter but praise him to present even better Naats.i hope you will understand what i said and may ALLAH almighty bless all of muslims

Summary - ethnic origin, nationality, citizenship
Sami's own official website writes in several places, including in the referenced Time/CNN article : "A British citizen born in Iran to Azeri parents, Yusuf spent most of his life in London." Thus, the CNN/Time wording is the best, which should be used in the page -- it is not understandeable, why, contrary to his wish, his self-perception, his own website, and Wikipedia article's reference to that URL, the quote would be written as "Sami Yusuf is a Iranian-British singer-songwriter of Azeri descent."

See also this self-description: "Azerbaijan - for your love of life, music, spirituality and for giving me a presidential welcome upon my return to my native homeland." 

"His family is Azeri by origin." 

"Brought up in London, of Azeri descent, 25-year-old Yusuf has achieved celebrity status in Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt." 

Sami Yusuf himself never calls himself Iranian. Instead, he always emphasizes that both of his parents are Azerbaijani, that they are from Azerbaijan, that he is of Azerbaijani descent, that his grandparents were from Azerbaijan (north of Araxes) and finally, as he peformed in Baku this past November 2006, he clearly said the following: "Azerbaijan - for your love of life, music, spirituality and for giving me a presidential welcome upon my return to my native homeland." We should quote him, as opposed to editorializing and making a big fuss out of an issue that's cut and dry.

I proposed this wording:


 * "Sami Yusuf is an Azerbaijani singer-songwriter, who was born in Iran on July 1980, but is a British citizen and has spent most of his life in London."

We should also add that his grandparents are from the Republic of Azerbaijan, and that he speaks and sings in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Urdu and English. --adil 04:58, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Um,...He doesnt sing in Farsi...


 * are you sure? I never heard, only his singing in Azerbaijani, Turkish, English, Arabic and Urdu, and assumed he sang in Farsi. Strange, he is trying to appeal to all Muslims, and considering that about 70 million Muslims speak Farsi as a primary language, it would look as an overlooking of a large audience. --adil 07:26, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

On his website it says he is British-born.

"With God in his heart and the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh at his side, British-born singing sensation Sami Yusuf is taking the world by storm — and even has non-Muslims humming his tunes — but don’t make the mistake of calling the widely acclaimed ‘King of Islamic Pop’ a preacher." "Yusuf, whose family originally comes from Azerbaijan, was born and raised in the United Kingdom and claims that when he first embarked on Al-Mu’allim, he was targeting Muslims living in the West. Both his lyrics and music swing back and forth between East and West in a manner that reflects the stew of cultures in which he grew up. "

http://www.samiyusuf.com/press/2006_11_10/2006_11_10_egypttoday_2.htm

Simple he a British Iranian of Azeri decent, Azeris are ethnic groups in Iran who are Iranian nationality and consider themselves iranian like many other groups such as kurds, arabs and lurs etc. in Iran.

''' The funny thing about this guy is, he is a clever Iranian fooling the majority of non-Iranian muslims; He knows well that shias as a minority of muslims are not much loved by the sunni majority, so he simply hides it! He knows well that being Iranian means simply being Shia, so he tries to make his identity unknown by mentioning a tiny ,very unknown muslim country called Azerbaijan (althought many know that Azeri is one of the manin Iranian ethnicities), the funniest thing is, he even chooses a very arabic name, renaming his persian name "Siyamak", to be more accepted by the majority of muslims! Who said that religion doesn't sell well?! As a friend of Iranians I suggest to this guy not to hijack Iranian melodies naming them nasheed! Iranian culture like all human cultures belongs to people appreciating it. I also suggest my Iranian friends not to waste their time on calling one their countryman who is abusing their culture and melodies for his pocket's benefit.'''

lol. I think you're full of crap sir, but I do agree on one thing: "...I also suggest my Iranian friends not to waste their time on calling him their countryman..." just get a life and get over this whole 'Sami Yusuf is Iranian' hysteria. Thanks

For the one using " lol. I think ........ ". Please avoid using chat terms in discussions, also If you have any idea let people know, instead of attacking people who has posted their own ideas! and I believe the post you were addressing has not specified his/her gender to be called a "Sir". Thank you.


 * How come his Iranian again(on the main page)?

Because I bet 100% there are some Iranians who just DO NOT want to get over the fact that guy isn't Iranian and he doesn't see hin himself as Iranian (judging from all his interviews etc)!! Dearest friends, please get over it!! Leave this issue! Sami himself sent an email ephatically saying he's not Iranian and is British of Azeri roots!

He's not "Iranian Azeri". He's British of Azeri descent... Why all the Iranian???

This is what I've been asking all along... Why can't some people just leave this issue alone! He's NOT Iranian, doesn't want to be known as such, and has emphatically stated that he is BRITISH of AZERI Descent.
 * No problem ! If he doesn't want to be ( or tobe presented as )Iranian, that's his choice . I didn't know that's his decision. I will not change the text anymore.Thanks --Alborz Fallah 19:48, 9 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Simply solution, dont say he is Iranian. Just say he was born in Iran to Azeri parents...thats fact, he cant deny he was born in Iran, even if he is British and not Iranian. This way, no ones upset. He doesnt have to be Iranian.Hajji Piruz 17:17, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm ok with that:) Everybody is happy that way. My issue is that we should just stick to the facts, whatever they may be! If he was born in Tehran/IRAN then that's a fact, if says he British of Azeri roots - it's a fact and we should accept it. I'm with you Mr. Hajji Pirus, well done and thanks for being so sensible.

Are you kidding me??!! INDIAN???!!

Yeah, I know!!!! Funniest thing ever!!!

All I know after reading the comments and knowing what I know about Sami Yusuf is that ...1. He was born in Iran thats a fact but he is not Iranian..if this is the fact then why dont we put all the Iranians, azeris, and afghans back in one country and call it persia or iran... My point is that there 3 countries of the former persian empire and those people are very independent of thier own nations now and Sami yusuf is pround of his Azeri backround plus he claims hes british so we should respect that.

Second the song Hasbi rabi is originally a Afghani foklore compose..thats why many Afghans were offended when he sang in many different languages and not in Dari/farsi..and yes he does know how to speak farsi becuase he just released a single called my mother and its in english and farsi.

Third I dont really blame him for not wanting to claim Iranian No offence To My true muslim brothers and sisters from Iran but many Iranians in the west where Sami lives have no Islamic up bringing becuase many of them are trying to hard to be fully westernised...either they do not practice Islam or they become Athieist...or they convert to christianty and its not becuase christianty had more to offer to them than islam (astakfurallah)its becuase they think westerners will accept them more and it differs them from true muslims of iran...so I dnt blame Sammi for not claiming Iranian living in the west. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.69.139.141 (talk) 01:20, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

He has Iranian origin, but he is Sunni —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.131.114.109 (talk) 19:25, 25 October 2007 (UTC) I think you'll find he is Shia, however for the sake of another argument(a-la Iranian or Azeri? etc), best if we just leave him as Muslim, instead of squabbiling over Shia-Sunni.


 * I'm pretty sure that Sami Yusuf is Taiwanese. Hare Krishna, Dawud (talk) 08:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Quick Question
Yes i know his first name is Sami, but i read somewhere he was born/changed his name from Siamak/Siyamak or something like that, is this true? or am I mistaken? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.200.100.234 (talk) 20:20, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

That may be true. The page lacks certain factual information:

Persian Magi (talk) 08:47, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
 * He was born in Tehran, Iran and to Iranian parents with Iranian nationalities so by default he is Iranian unless if he denounces that officially.
 * The page should mention that he has eschewed the question of his origins for whatever reason. The fact is that he has eschewed the question and not why he has as we do not know the latter.
 * Some members say he is an Azeri as if he is a citizen of Azerbaijan. He is an ethic Iranian Azari, i.e. born to parents who spoke the Turkic language called Azeri in English but Azari in Iran by Iranian Azaris and Persians. Saying he is an ethnic Azeri is partial fact. His father was definitely not a citizen of Republic of Azerbaijan or former Soviet Republic. That is why we should say he is an Iranian Azari ethnic until he denounces his Iranian citizenship, if he does.
 * He has changed his name from a Persian sounding name. I am sure we can find sources for this sooner or later. But if not, we can simply omit this one.

Found from somewhere that Hamshahri claimed his real name was Siamak Radmanesh and he was son of Iranian songwriter Babak Radmanesh who resides in Britain. Persian Magi (talk) 07:00, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

i like sami yousef and love his songs,,but some of his songs have iranian resources,for example allaho allah from iraninan song name is mola mamad jaan or eid music from another iranian old song montazerat boodam,,, you can check in youtube ,,,,but thank you sami yousef for your nice songs,,maybe in the future i say im not iranian im from semnan,baloochestan,or khorasan or gilan,coz all of this county like azerbaiejan as a county from iran,,i hate of these fanatic opinion's —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.239.239.170 (talk) 11:24, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Excuse me Mullah maamad jaan is afghani folk song not a irani folk song.. get your information right..if you heard it from a iranian singer then he copied becuase that is a Afghani song..that is why so many afghans were offended when sammi sang that song and he did not sing a verse in dari/farsi. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.23.33.117 (talk) 10:09, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Link
Since Sami Yusuf is obviously an Iranian Azeri, I have changed the link from "Azerbaijani people" to "Iranian Azeri" (a different article) which is more specific. Tājik (talk) 20:25, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
 * "Obvious" is not always "correct". As per direct contact with Mr Yusuf via OTRS, he does not self-identify as an Iranian Azeri. For things like cultural identity, statements from the individual are paramount. DS (talk) 23:22, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Also, to avoid the question of his origin, I think we can all agree that he is of Azeri descent, yes? DS (talk) 23:49, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Sami Yusuf says he is Iranian
In a recent interview with IRIB (Iranian Official TV), Sami Yusuf put an end to all speculations, gossips etc. about his status. He said he was born in Tehran, "beautiful city of Tehran", he emphasized and he considers Iran his country. He added that his is "ethnically" Azari and did not elaborate if that meant he was from North or South of Aras river. He, again, repeated, his is a British citizen, culturally Iranian and his ethnicity is Azari. Here is the interview in youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL7cFoL1rdw

I think this interview is sufficient to change the page to reflect that he is Iranian-British and ethnically Azari. I am going to change the page to that effect. Please feel free to express views here but bear in mind that we are here to improve information and not fight over ownership of people. Persian Magi (talk) 04:19, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

to sami
Assalam Alaikum sami, my name is sabah, after reading your article i feel one thing that it doesn't matter you being Irani,British citizen,etc... what matters is you being Muslim and your songs shows the love and respect for our Islam. In today's world its very difficult to find people who love their religion so much,i really respect you for that.I don't have much words to write because i have met you only in songs.Hope to listen more from you Insha Allah —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.91.249.104 (talk) 21:11, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Archiving this page?
Would anyone mind if I set up automatic archiving of this page using User:MiszaBot/Archive HowTo? --Alvestrand (talk) 05:07, 26 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Having heard nothing, and observing that the page is overlong, I'm starting the archiving bot. --Alvestrand (talk) 06:32, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

re-written
ive rewritten the main part of the article and have added a infobox to fit with Wikipedia standards please cirticise :O (User talk:wajidhaq) 18:14, 16 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I like the new format, and it does not seem to remove any referenced materials. I added a reference for the TIME Magazine article - we need some for "appearing on the cover of multiple other magazines" also. --Alvestrand (talk) 02:31, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Keep what we know, drop what we have conflicting evidence on
We know (that is, we have sources, and no sources contradict): We do not know, because the sources conflict:
 * He was born in Teheran
 * His parents were ethnic Azeri
 * He presently lives in Britain.
 * Whether he wants to be called Iranian (he says in email to OTRS that he doesn't, and in interview cited that he does)

In this case, we should list what we know in the intro. The article body can contain the evidence of contradiction, if needed. --Alvestrand (talk) 22:44, 19 November 2008 (UTC)


 * What is OTRS and where is that email? Can it be verified. Evidence in Wikipedia should be verifiable!
 * On the other hand, the interview is there in public domain. Persian Magi (talk) 22:57, 19 November 2008 (UTC)
 * OTRS, see earlier talk on this page. --Alvestrand (talk) 23:04, 19 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Are you on OTRS? How can we verify if someone is on OTRS?Persian Magi (talk) 23:12, 19 November 2008 (UTC)
 * - DS is. --Alvestrand (talk) 23:19, 19 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I do not see DS listed there,, not as DS or Dragonfly...! Persian Magi (talk) 23:26, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

He is listed here: and not in the list of personnel here I am asking him to provide exact text: |DS's talk page. By the way, where is the regulation that says OTRS emails can be used as references? Persian Magi (talk) 00:12, 20 November 2008 (UTC)
 * The most relevant page is probably Biographies of living persons/Help. --Alvestrand (talk) 15:17, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

No, we don't use OTRS e-mails as references but I'm looking at it now (I'm also on OTRS) and there is no room for doubt that the view expressed by DS accurately reflects the concerns of the subject of the article. Obviously we can't use the email for a reference but we can ensure that the description on the article reflects what the subject's website states about his origins. Please consider the offence and pain that trying to force this article into an ethnicity that the subject simply does not feel can and will cause them. Spartaz Humbug! 23:46, 23 December 2008 (UTC)


 * So why does his bio & background information (origin) include "Iranian" when there are NO sources to prove it? In addition to the fact that he has mailed OTRS and asked them to omit such info. Btw, he has no Specific genre (many times he has said that his genre is neither islamic, nor nasheed, nor pop). He wants to create music that is "honest" not "religious but spiritual" as he clearly state in his most recent interview on Aljazeerah (ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H94OBllw_tQ&feature=PlayList&p=3DB844C5B9F1B601&index=0&playnext=1) --Boycotter 19:23, 14 April 2009 (UTC)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Boycotter (talk • contribs)


 * It only says "iranian" until it gets reverted. It's undisputed that he's born in Teheran. --Alvestrand (talk) 20:10, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Discography
I've pasted the LINK (http://www.businesstodayegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8058) about a dozen times on this page where i changed the total sales of the album of My Ummah and Al Muallim which are in fact 4,000,000 and 2,000,000 respectively. I dont understand why this number is being CONSTANTLY changed while i have cited a credible source.

In addition there is NO reference for the sales of the Without You album which claims to be 1, 750,000! This is a game being played by his former company Awakening ( they are obviously changing the numbers ). THere is absolutely no reference given to this number, nor are any sources cited (there is no source to begin with, they've simply started selling this album 3 months ago in January without Sami Yusuf's permission)

Please STOP deleting my sources & changes!

Sources for Almuallim album selling over a million copies ( 2,000,000 to be exact): http://www.awakeninguk.com/products/86

For further REFERENCE please look at this Excerpt under Halal Music : "Yusuf’s first album, Al-Mu’allim (the teacher) released in 2003, was a massive success, selling millions of copies — his songs seemed to be the ringtone of every mobile phone in Egypt. Yusuf’s second album, My Ummah, sold over three million copies globally." http://www.businesstodayegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8058 --Boycotter (talk) 18:40, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Hmm still no changes? --Boycotter 16:14, 15 April 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Boycotter (talk • contribs)


 * Believe it or not, Wikipedia is a hobby, not a profession.... see if you like the format now. --Alvestrand (talk) 18:03, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Official Site and Management
Please refrain from using "quotation marks" on his official website. IT IS his OFFICIAL site www.samiyusufofficial.com He is currently in a legal dispute with his former company Awakening Records and is under new MANAGEMENT (labelmaison ltd): check this link for further 'reference' ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sami-Yusuf/15489312139?v=info&viewas=547340301 Take time to fix his background information because his record label is NOT awakening (not anymore). --Boycotter (talk) 18:39, 14 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Facebook is not a reliable source. Anyone can put up a site and call it "samiyusufofficial.com" (the actual registrant is hidden behind a Canadian private-registration screening company). I believe it is indeed what he would consider official, but we don't have any reliable source saying so. --Alvestrand (talk) 19:53, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Alverstrand, Please refer to Sami Yusuf's LATEST interview (February 12th, 2009) with Riz Khan on AlJazeerah at min 8:13 - 8:30 for further evidence(Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H94OBllw_tQ&feature=PlayList&p=3DB844C5B9F1B601&index=0&playnext=1 ) You might also want to check the SYO's radio with Sami Yusuf's own Audio welcome note: http://www.samiyusufofficial.com/wp-content/themes/Sami-Yusuf/sami-yusuf-radio.html --Boycotter 16:08, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks - I'll take AlJazeera's word for this being his official website, and take a bet on user "AlJazeeraEnglish" on YouTube being in fact associated with AlJazeera... --Alvestrand (talk) 17:54, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Trying to catch the words in that interview....
I tried listening to the Iran TV interview cited. I couldn't make out what he was saying most of the time, since the interpreter was given in voice-over - not knowing the language spoken, I had a hard time separating out the threads. So the snippets in English I got were mostly at the ends of sentences.

Among the words I caught were "Born in Teheran, beautiful city", "Ethincally, Azeri", and "Classification again". If someone could point out the exact second of the claimed statement "I'm Iranian", I'd be happy to take another listen. Until then, I think I'll call this evidence "inconclusive". --Alvestrand (talk) 14:24, 5 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Where in the WORLD does he say he is Iranian? That is simply the words of the translator not necessarily Sami Yusuf himself.
 * Please stop changing his biography to British Iranian, he wishes to be known as British Azeri. And the reference which you've cited simply says Azeri NOT iranian. Change it please.

--Boycotter (talk) 18:38, 14 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Please note that the one you're yelling at is not me. --Alvestrand (talk) 20:09, 14 April 2009 (UTC)


 * In the television interview he says "My family are all ethnically Azeri, but I was born in Iran, I see myself as an Iranian and I am proud of being Iranian. Nationally I see myself as British, Culturally as Iranian and ethnically Azeri." That is what has been said in the interview. Seems clear to me. --Paradoxic (talk) 15:12, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks Paradoxic - is this from the translator's voice or were you able to catch his own English? What position in the video was it? --Alvestrand (talk) 17:31, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Being born in Tehran doesnt make you 'Iranian'. --Boycotter 16:16, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Boycotter, I think you are kind of confused. 30% of Tehran is Azeri. Iranian is a nationality. Azeri is an ethnic group in Iran (the second largest). I am personally half Azeri half Persian also from Tehran thus my nationality is Iranian. Half of my family is also Azeri and considers themselves Iranian, this is a very common view. Alvestrand, I followed the Farsi translation by the translator. In the video the translator mentions twice from his words "I am Iranian" and "I am proud of being from Iran". --Paradoxic (talk) 17:49, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Paradoxic - The words may have been manipulated by the translator in order to please the listeners (please keep in mind that this was Sami Yusuf FIRST interview with the Iranian media), not necessarily give a clear translation of what Sami Yusuf is saying. Sami Yusuf does not say he is of iranian 'origin', this is what he says in the IRIB interview (if u pay close attention): Ethnically: Azeri (his grandfather was a migrant from Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan) Culturally: Persian Nationality: British

Aside from this, this is only ONE interview where Sami says he is 'culturally' persian, in addition to the fact that the interview has the translators voice over sami's own original words...Why discard the tens of other interviews where he says he is Azeri British & stick to this one only? --Boycotter 19:15, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Shia?
Is there any proof he is Shia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.169.50.204 (talk) 15:32, 27 March 2009 (UTC)
 * As far as I can tell, these allegiations are unsourced. The same editor (presumably) even tried to change my remark on this talk page from "Ethnically, Azeri" to "Ethnically, Shia". And that's not what I heard on that video. The idea that professing to be Shia in Iran, which is overwhelmingly Shia, would make you unpopular there is also somewhat preposterous.... so I'm thinking that this series of edits should be classified as vandalism. --Alvestrand (talk) 18:10, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

CAN YOU PLEASE CITE WHERE HE HAS SAID HE IS SHIA? HE HAS NEVER EVEN SAID HE IS SUNNI, HE IS SIMPLY MUSLIM PLEASE STOP GIVING MISLEADING INFORMATION THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO BASIS --Boycotter (talk) 18:40, 14 April 2009 (UTC)


 * There are currently no reliable sources on this. No doubt this is very important to some, but without such sources being provided, the article should not state it either way. Rd232 talk 04:06, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Although Azeri's are almost entirely Shiites in Iran. I believe Yusuf is a Shiite-Sufi. It would almost be unthinkable he is a Sunni, because Azeri's in Iran are historically from Shiite tribes that went to Iran to establish the Shiite Safavidian empire.--Paradoxic (talk) 15:04, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Even if you're right in general (I don't know) we need a reliable source to say so for Yusuf in particular. Rd232 talk 11:13, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Doctorate documentation needed
Google was unable to find any mention of "Sami Yusuf" and "Roehampton University" together, apart from on the discussion forum at samiyusufofficial.com:, and in a wordpress blog said to be about the university, but with unknown standing:

The Roehampton University website doesn't seem to mention Sami Yusuf at all. The last awarding of honorary degrees seems to be from July 2008:.

Could someone find a WP:RS (that is, NOT a blog or a website associated with the artist) that corroborates this? --Alvestrand (talk) 15:01, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Last honorary degrees are from March 2009: . Best guess is that the blog is reflecting the invitation, which precedes by some time the actual award, and only the latter would be announced. Rd232 talk 15:26, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

Having seen the invitation letter, I can confirm everything that has been stated :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dobby Power (talk • contribs) 01:24, 20 April 2009 (UTC)


 * But has the invitation been reported anywhere? For instance, has he mentioned this in an interview that's been published? (preferably on paper - easier to quote). Verifiability, not truth is a Wikipedia watchword. --Alvestrand (talk) 05:02, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

All will be in the public domain in July. Please remain patient —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.144.203.50 (talk) 11:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Then i'll WP:BB and move the para to the talk page until July. --Alvestrand (talk) 12:45, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Stored here until public information is available:

Doctorate
In January 2009, it was announced on Sami Yusuf's Official Website that he has been invited by the University of Roehampton in south-west London, to accept an Honorary Doctorate. The award is said to be in recognition of his contribution to Music. At age 28, Sami becomes the University's youngest recipient of this esteemed award.

He's going to recieve the award in the Summer, and he talks about it in the Aljazeerah interview i cited earlier. Min 1:19 - 1:25 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H94OBllw_tQ&feature=PlayList&p=3DB844C5B9F1B601&index=0&playnext=1 --Boycotter 19:08, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Genre
Firstly thank you Alverstrand for making the changes!

Here is a video where Sami Yusuf is talking about the genre of his music, this and countless of other recent interviews confirm that he is not a 'nasheed artist' or a 'islamic pop singer' ( as it is cited in the Background information). Please take it into consideration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF-BXJwbdfk&feature=channel (From start -> min 3:10) he calls it 'universal' and 'multifaceted'

--Boycotter 00:54, 20 April 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Boycotter (talk • contribs)


 * It's very clear from other cites that some other people consider some of his songs nasheed, and that some people consider some of his songs pop. Since neither "universal" nor "multifaceted" are genres, I think the infobox mentioning those genres is reasonable. --Alvestrand (talk) 07:15, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

Family ethnicity is not documented
I reverted another variant of the Iran/Azeri thing - this time the claim was that he comes from "an Iranian family of Azeri origin". All that I've seen documented about his connection to Iran is that he was born in Teheran, and that the translator in an interview on Iranian TV claims that he said he was Iranian.

Please - if people want to explain more about where his family comes from, add verifiable facts to the biography section, and do NOT start off by adding it to the lead paragraph - so far, even the name of his father doesn't have a reliable source cited (and therefore is not included in the article). --Alvestrand (talk) 07:10, 21 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You are now insinuating that the translator is somehow a liar. This is silly. In the video he said he is a proud Iranian more than once and that he is ethnically Azeri. All of Iran has more than 30% Azeri's who all consider themselves Iranian. Including half of my own family. There is no proof that the translator who is hired by a corporation to provide translations from English language has a reason to lie, unless you can prove otherwise, the source is sufficient. Also, if you can read up on the Farsi wiki. It has some more info on him. Including the fact that Sami is short for his real name which is also Persian, Siamak. --Paradoxic (talk) 17:29, 28 May 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm afraid I'll have to insist on a source that I can verify that his full name is Siamak. My Farsi (Persian) is nonexistent, I'm afraid. --Alvestrand (talk) 17:46, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

Semiprotection
After another round of IP-based edit warring, I've semiprotected the page for 3 months. Any IPs who want sourced edits done can request them here. --Alvestrand (talk) 10:01, 28 April 2009 (UTC)

British Azeri not Azerbaijani
He is an Azeri (ethnicity with majority in Iran and minority in the country of Azerbaijan) not an Azerbaijani (someone from the country of Azerbaijan). So woudn't it be more appropriate to classify him as a British person of Azeri origin in the categories section? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.96.118.214 (talk) 19:58, 1 May 2009 (UTC)


 * The Category:*azeri/azerbajani* hierarchy seems a complete mess to me. "Category:Azeris by country of citizenship" is a subcategory of "Category:Azerbaijani people", which again is a subcategory of "Category:Azerbaijan". But Category:People of Azerbaijani descent, which Category:Iranian Azeris is *also* a subcategory of, is a subcategory of Category:Azerbaijani diaspora. If there are indeed two categories "Azeri ethnicity" and "Azerbaijani descent" to be considered, those category trees need to be untangled. --Alvestrand (talk) 09:16, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * That said, I discovered that the article was tagged with him being a Shia muslim, which has not been documented, as discussed here earlier. Removed. --Alvestrand (talk) 09:19, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Protection, again
Sigh. People have started making unsourced edits about his ethnicity again, without discussion on talk. I've semiprotected the page for another month.

In related news, someone's been changing his birthdate. Since the birthdate is unsourced, we now need a specific source that says on which day he was born - it's reasonable to add that statement, and the source, to the "biography" paragraph, and then copy the date into the infobox. --Alvestrand (talk) 13:56, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Sami Yusuf's New Album "Without You"
This Album is not genuine, as it is not official from Sami Yusuf. The album consists of demos, stolen songs, fake recordings. Sami Yusuf has officially stated on his website that "Without You" is not his next album. He has also asked his supporters to boycott the album. I ask that the album name be removed from his discography on his page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zhussaini (talk • contribs) 18:27, 16 September 2009 (UTC)

Well, Wikipedia is for information, right? So why limit the information. As long as it shows basically what you mean, then that is good.99.226.195.252 (talk) 09:36, 28 September 2009 (UTC)


 * That's what the Wikipedia page says Sami Yusuf has said. Just to make it a little more obvious, I added "(disputed)" to the discography entry. --Alvestrand (talk) 10:22, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

Move reverted
One editor moved this page to Siamak Yusuf. After checking WP:COMMONNAME, I moved it back. "Sami Yusuf" is the most commonly known name for this person. --Alvestrand (talk) 17:42, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Sami is short for Siamak. It is the name his parents gave. Sami is just a performer name. Please find a translator in the future. او در سال ۲۰۰۳ در یک مصاحبه تلویزیونی با شبکه DreamTV مصر عنوان کرد که سامی (نام کوچکش) مخفف سیامک (یک نام ایرانی) است.

In 2003, in an interview with Egypt's Dream TV Sami Yusuf said that Sami is short for Siamak. http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/News/?id=32699 http://www.hamavaz.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=4639

سال 2003، مجري مصري شبكه Dream TV روبه‌روي سامي يوسف نشست و از او پرسيد: «سامي مخفف سيامك است. اين‌طور نيست؟» جوان 23 ساله كه در اوج شهرت بود، از اين سؤال شوكه شد. اما خودش را جمع و جور كرد و با لبخند پاسخ داد: «بله، اسم اصلي من سيامك است.»

"The interviewer of Dream TV in a 2003 interview asked him "Your name Sami is short for Siamak, correct?" Sami was shocked but confirmed with a smile: Yes, my original name is Siamak".

Is it perhaps because there is difficulty accepting the fact that he is born in Iran, and thus an Iranian with like many of us azeri ethnic origins, and has a Persian name? There is no justification for playing cat and mouse, let the page be unless you find facts that contradict these directly, there is really no basis for denial if you can't.--Paradoxic (talk) 18:30, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
 * WP:COMMONNAME. Also, if there are reliable English sources for associating Yusuf with the name "Siamak", I haven't found them. He goes by "Sami Yusuf", leave it at that. Rd232 talk 19:08, 28 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Bill Clinton is not listed as William Jefferson Clinton. Read WP:COMMONNAME. At this point, you need to find a source saying that he is better known by the name "Siamak" than by the name "Sami" if you want to move the article. I think that's hard to find. But if you can find any reasonable source that can be verified by an English reader that his name is Siamak, that's reasonable to add to the text of the article. --Alvestrand (talk) 19:29, 28 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Google Translate is able to translate the quote above. It says "In 2003, Executive Egyptian Dream TV network faces Sami Yusuf meeting and asked him: «سامي stands is crystal. It is not? »Young 23 year old was the peak of fame, this question was shocked. The compact itself to smile and answered: «Yes, my main name is crystal.». Names are hard to translate. Still, if you add the sentence "his birth name was Siamak" to the biography section, and cite Dream TV's web page as a source, I won't object. No guarantee that others won't - this is an open project. After all, someone else might find the English-language reliable source I'm looking for. --Alvestrand (talk) 07:00, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Why Azerbaijan Flag ( WikiProject Azerbaijan )is here? Sami is azeri from iran and now he is citizen of england then i should see wikiproject iran or wiki project england here. yes he said his real name is simak but we don't need to change page title to simak. but still we need to mention his full name in main page. Mr Alvestrand just because you can not find english source for his name that doesn't mean you deny the trut. it is very usual to site on non english source when english version is not available. most of the asian history in wikipedia is like that.
 * I raised an eyebrow at WikiProject Azerbaijan too, but it says it covers Azeris as well as Azerbaijan, so I guess that's OK. Bear in mind that wikiproject banners are in any case generally outstandingly unimportant! Rd232 talk 09:37, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

You can easily find his original name by search with deed poll. It apears that he has changed his name from Siamak Berenjan to Sami Yusuf in 2006.

His father is a famous composer in Iran and there is no hiding to that fact. http://www.babakradmanesh.com Sami Yusuf has dual nationalities. His initial years was spent in Iran and he has visited a number of times. However, after his success he is keeping a low profile. The Iranian regime is fully aware of his ethnicity and it appeared on many newspapers in Iran.


 * I don't know what you mean by "search with deed poll". Can you give a link, or explain how to get that information? The English side of the website http://www.babakradmanesh.com/ is almost totally empty, and it would be strange to use this as a source anyway (check WP:RS for Wikipedia rules about sourcing.) --Alvestrand (talk) 14:15, 13 December 2009 (UTC)

Why is there a controversy about his ethnicity?
In an interview with Riz Khan, he makes it very clear that he is an ethnic Azer, was born in Tehran, and consider himself British. Whey dont we just believe him? Unless there is a proof against what he says. Hassanfarooqi (talk) 17:49, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I think the issue here is why use Azeri instead of Iranian or a better compromise would be he is an Iranian Azeri.

I think he is afraid of calling himself Iranian and this has also alienated a lot of his fans in Iran. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wijay786 (talk • contribs) 00:08, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

Azeri vs Persian
Someone's been changing the ethnicity of his family from "Azeri" to "Persian" a couple of times. As long as the references on that particular paragraph (6 and 7 in the footnote list say "Azeri", it's going to stay "Azeri". Can't have the text saying something different from what it claims to be sourced from. --Alvestrand (talk) 19:49, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Sami Yusuf aka Siamak Berenjan was born and raised initially in Iran. His family are Iranians of ethnic Azeri origin. His father was a famous composer in Iran until after the revolution he decided to leave the country and migrate to UK, London like many other Iranians who disagreed with the Islamic regime.

Sami Yusuf joined Label Masion before joining ETM
Why is it that this information keeps getting removed.

This information was on his website and facebook. So it is important to state that before he joined ETM he actually joined Label Masion for a short while under the management of Rikki Stein.

This information is correct and should not be removed.

So Awakening Records 2002-2008, Label Masion 2008, ETM International 2009 - present —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wijay786 (talk • contribs) 00:05, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

Yes, this was displayed on his facebook contact page. I think he also broke up with them and joined ETMI. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Akhlaaq786 (talk • contribs) 08:59, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

I do not see any harm in adding this.


 * Neither his website nor Facebook fill the requirements of WP:RS. Hasn't *any* magazine, newspaper or other news outlet picked up this information???? (BTW, from ETM's website, it seems to be only a Sami Yusuf veichle). --Alvestrand (talk) 19:40, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

He Cant just "Brake away" he his under contract with awakening media FOR 5 ALBUMS regardless of what his website claims, plus awakening media are still credible and make money from any singles he releases

this is why it think it should be changed from 2002-2008 to present ps what is ETM it isnt even a real record company 90.195.53.94 (talk) 21:20, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

Sunni or Shiite
Does anone know if he is a sunni and shiite? --Doctorkc (talk) 07:20, 31 January 2010 (UTC)


 * I think he is a Sunni cuz (I DON'T MEAN TO OFFEND ANYONE RIGHT NOW) he hasn't sang anything with Ali or any Imams. Now i now not all shias do stuff like that but a lot do 10soccerkid10 (talk) 16:06, 27 February 2010 (UTC)
 * That doesn't prove anything one way or the other, sorry. DS (talk) 00:54,--Hame fan harif (talk) 03:17, 8 October 2010 (UTC) 18 March 2010 (UTC)

Well he is an Iranian-Azeri who are predominately Shia Muslims, by the way Mr.10soccerkid10 go and get some basic knowledge regarding Shia's because that Ali comment from you is quiet offensive, you'll be blocked if you continue these sectarian oriented comments in future. Please start respecting people, instead of disrespecting their believes. No Shia over exaggerates the importance of Ali like Sunni brothers do to malign the Shia faith, grow up. Regards! SyedMANaqvi (talk) 12:15, 9 July 2010 (UTC)

I am not Shiite and I even know that stereotype is definitely not excusable. This is specially the case since among the Shiite are different understandings, like for example the Twelvers, the Zaidi and Ismaili just to name a few. I apologize if the terms I use are not terms Shiite use I haven't interacted with many Shiites and so i wouldn't know. --Doctorkc (talk) 20:13, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Iranian Azeri being predominately Shiite Muslims doesn't necessarily answer the question, although that would be a safe assumption. Maybe he has mixed parents, one Sunni and one Shiite, like most of the Shiites I have came across. --Doctorkc (talk) 20:20, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

He got to be Sunni. Because this will tell us why he doesn't like being an Iranian. Furthur more, Shi'ite people sign for Imams, at least once. Since he doesn't even mention, By default he is Sunni. --Hame fan harif (talk) 03:19, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

We have to take into consideration that most of his audience and fans are Sunni and so that would surely affect if only to a certain extent how his music would be received if he happened to be Shiite. S just to clarify I am not saying he is but that it is a possibility. It is also possible he might simply be non-denominational (so neither Sunni or Shiite). --Doctorkc (talk) 18:38, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Fourth (?) album "Wherever you are"
Information about this album has been added to the page, but no source is cited. Where does this information come from? --Alvestrand (talk) 22:04, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Long term pattern of misinformation
This article has for several years been subject to long-term patterns of misinformation, about which the Wikimedia Foundation has received numerous, understandable complaints (see ticket # above). One particular recurrent issue is the replacement of the official website (samiyusufofficial.com, with websites that have no current official affiliation with the subject, such as saniyusuf.com.

In order to remain compliant with our policy on biographies of living persons, information added to this article (negative, positive or simply neutral) must be impeccably sourced to reliable sources. Care should be taken with sites that claim to be official, since some sites have made this claim without authority from the subject. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 14:49, 10 October 2010 (UTC)

Azeri or British?
This becomes tedious. Even the footnoted source says "British" so why some contributors want to change the wording of The Guardian quote is beyond me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by GorgeCustersSabre (talk • contribs) 22:00, 6 November 2010 (UTC)

Removal of sourced information
On February 26, the following information was removed from this article: "An ethnic Azeri born in Tehran, Yusuf was raised in London from the age of three. His grandparents left Baku in Azerbaijan when it was recaptured by the Bolsheviks after the First World War." The removal was accompanied by the comment that "Information on Early life and grandparent immigration of Sami Yusuf has been deleted due to a lack of substantial citation."

The information has been cited to The Independent, which is a major publication in the UK that meets Wikipedia's reliable source guidelines. These are precisely the kinds of sources that Wikipedia relies upon to verify content. I believe that this information should be restored, unless a compelling reason is presented as to why in this case The Independent is not "substantial". I have invited the contributor to explain here what he or she means. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 00:20, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

The citation is not substantial in terms of its suitability, though the source (The Independent) is credible; it does not pertain to Sami Yusuf's Early Life, ie his own personal life. The information provided should be relevant and focus on Sami Yusuf himself.Turquoise21 (talk) 03:19, 27 February 2011 (UTC)


 * That may be true with regards to the second sentence, but the first is entirely about Yusuf--his ethnic background, his birthplace, and the age at which he relocated to London. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 03:22, 27 February 2011 (UTC)


 * I have restored the first sentence, since it does pertain to Yusuf's personal lifeand since you have not returned to discuss the matter. If you disagree, we can seek other opinions. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 11:42, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

Complete Edit by user Turquoise21
Hello there,

i have seen that that the user:Turquoise21 has completely changed the sami yusuf wikipedia page

while he has added a lot of information it seems to be very confusing the way this person has categorised it

while also you have to remember that wikipedia is a no bias encyclopaedia and NOT A FAN PAGE; so he had no right deleting "Without You" disputed album from the discography including the sales and its track; there was also no mention of the refute by awakening records as mentioned in the previous edit

LASTLY THIS WIKI USER is UPLOADING COPYRIGHTED PICS TO WIKICOMMONS eg he's going to 3rd party websites and saving them to his desktop and then uploading im sorry but this breaches wikipedia so the bot will automatically delete them unless its a picture that the user physically takes with their own physically camera like the original photo of him in Glasgow —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.123.1.18 (talk) 20:34, 1 March 2011 (UTC)


 * The third album is mentioned in the body of the article, but all of the information about the dispute with Awakening came from primary sources--either the Awakening website or the Sami Yusuf website. Are you aware of any reliable sources which discuss this dispute or this album? --Moonriddengirl (talk) 12:33, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

Iranian citizenship
According to this 2002 newspaper article, citizenship in Iran is not automatic on birth in the country. Anyone born to an Iranian father, anywhere in the world, is an Iranian citizen. If Yusuf's father is not an Iranian citizen, Yusuf's birth in Iran doesn't make him a citizen unless (per Paragraph 5 of Article 976 of Iran's Civil Code) he continued to reside in Iran for one year after becoming 18. We'd need to know Yusuf's father's citizenship to determine if he is Iranian. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 16:09, 3 April 2011 (UTC)


 * His father is Babak Radmanesh, a famous Iranian composer and sometimes singer. An Iranian by birth. His father left Iran after the revolution.Nokhodi (talk) 05:02, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

Azerbaijan
He considers himself as an Azeri, doesn't he? His concert in Azerbaijan was even called "My Country" but why he's listed under Iranian people instead of Azerbaijani? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.237.113.2 (talk) 20:08, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Request edit on "Dispute with former label"
Hello,

I find that in Sami Yusuf's page the whole paragraph depends on what he describes of the dispute, which is biased and it does not include reliable sources.The article should be edited still because if not then Wikipedia will be allowing to expose only the Information quoted from Sami Yusuf's point of view. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Salmats2al (talk • contribs) 11:46, 21 August 2014 (UTC)


 * You indicate that this paragraph is expressed only from Yusuf's point of view, but it seems to include a quote taken directly from Awakening Records website. Can you explain where the bias is? (Reliable press coverage of the dispute can certainly be added:, for instance.) --Moonriddengirl (talk) 12:00, 21 August 2014 (UTC)
 * It has been about two months since User:Moonriddengirl's request for more information, and User:Salmats2al has not posted a reply. Furthermore, the edit requests - that starts with "I find that" - does not contain references and refutes sourced content. It's not clear where the bias would be. I'm closing this COI edit request. --82.136.210.153 (talk) 00:26, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

"Spiritique"
Regarding this: A self-coined genre can be discussed in the body but does not belong in the infobox. --Neil N  talk to me 17:34, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Yusuf
Dear admins,

It is patently false to call Mr Yusuf "British-Iranian" as he does not hold Iranian citizenship/dual nationality and, for the purpose of clarification he is ethnically Azeri (not Iranian). He only holds British Citizenship. Here is the link confirming this in a 2018 Q&A session with Mr Yusuf: https://twitter.com/samiyusuf/status/960207745126453248

The following link has been sourced for this false claim surrounding his name: http://www.bbc.com/persian/arts/2015/07/150729_music_sami_yusof_iran_reaction

As it is a language I do not understand I had to get it translated. It is now clear that this article is 100% false. It has apparently been around for 4 years and has only come to our attention now through Wikipedia. We have already started to contact the BBC to get this article removed and will take all necessary actions as this is defamatory.

I would like to make it absolutely clear that Mr Yusuf only has one name, that is ’Sami Yusuf’. I am astonished that Wikipedia would take a very dubious source so seriously. We can send you Mr Yusuf’s passport copy in case the following link is not sufficient: https://twitter.com/samiyusuf/status/960210578043293696

I hope this precedes some random rumors - it would be quite tragic for Wikipedia’s credibility if it was otherwise. Logically, one would assume such claims would need to be backed with hard evidence (such as actual credible documents) and not just a tabloid-style article?

Best regards,

Madi

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Mjahangir777 (talk • contribs) 14:24, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 9 April 2019
Dear https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:HistoryofIran

Please check all these important sources and I don't undrestand why you want to make changes based on your way!?

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/apr/27/1?INTCMP=SRCH https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/sami-yusuf-if-one-has-a-strong-spiritual-discipline-it-lessens-the-burden-1.813322 http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1220754,00.html https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04gnhvx https://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/sami-yusuf-dedicates-new-song-typhoon-survivors-philippines — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mjahangir777 (talk • contribs) 16:09, 11 April 2019 (UTC)