(contactmusic.com) - Muslim musical icon Yusif Islam performed live in America for the first time in nearly 30 years last night (19 December 2006), two years after he was refused entry to the US because his name appeared on a no-fly list. Islam - who changed his name from Cat Stevens and walked away from music when he converted to Islam in 1978 - performed classic hits and tracks from his new album An another cup at an invitation-only music industry performance in New York. He told the crowd, "It's one small step for man, one giant step for common sense." He also explained his years in the music wilderness, "I got too big. I had to deflate myself. I needed to come back down to earth. "(Now) I believe what I could do with a song is much more valuable than just giving a lot of talks. "I feel I've been given a gift, and I should use it."