N'dour said the Muslim religion had been misinterpreted

N'dour said he wanted to show a positive view of Islam at a time when his faith was being misinterpreted.

The album - Sant Allah (Homage to God) in Senegal's Wolof language - marks a departure for one of West Africa's most popular artists.

N'dour said: "Every believer needs to take stock at some point of their spiritual life."

Referring to the 11 September terrorist attacks, he added: "Sant Allah is an album which praises the tolerance of my religion, which has been badly misused by a certain ideology."

The album includes tributes to Muslim leaders such as Sheikh Amadou Bamba, founder of Mouridism, Senegal's Muslim brotherhood.

N'dour, best known to western audiences for his 1994 hit Seven Seconds with Neneh Cherry, first made his name outside Africa working with Peter Gabriel in the 1980s.

It is not the first time the Senegalese superstar has made political statements.

In March he postponed what should have been the biggest US tour of his career to protest against the war in Iraq.