YUSUF Islam

Chinese Whiskers (FAQs)

Why Has Yusuf Dropped Islam From His Stage Name?

“My name is still Yusuf Islam. The decision to use just Yusuf for my stage name was for many reasons; it makes the issue of identification personal, not political or religious. I felt it strange when journalists referred to me by my surname, Islam. Reading things like, “Islam says …” worried me. It was a huge responsibility, which I was not prepared to carry. Since I started making music again, it was feeling uncomfortable knowing that some Muslims still consider Music to be forbidden in Islam; although I follow a different school of thought, it was not appropriate for pop-journalists to write things like, “Islam’s new album”.

Anyway, I like known to be on first name terms, it’s more friendly by far. By the way, if anyone called me ‘Cat’ in the old days, it meant they weren’t in my close circle of friends.
Tweet