YUSUF ISLAM - YUSUF ISLAM 'NERVOUS' OF BEARDS

YUSUF ISLAM 'NERVOUS' OF BEARDS

YUSUF ISLAM - the singer formerly known as CAT STEVENS - has confessed he's often guilty of stereotyping men with beards. The musician, who converted to Islam in 1978, worries facial hair on young Muslim males has become unfairly associated with terrorism in recent years, but concedes he understands where some of the negative responses come from. The bearded star says, "Even I get nervous when I see someone with one! If I don't know who that person is. It's true that some beards look a bit frightening. Some of these people, I know them, they look ferocious. "The beard happens to give a masculine look, a more virile appearance, but what goes on behind it, well, I'm an example, if you listen to my music. Yes I had a beard as Cat Stevens but now I have grown wiser and my beard is longer."