By Nazli Yuzbasioglu and Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA

British singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, praised Turkey’s role in looking after refugees in a recent visit to Ankara.

“We really came to show our support for the incredible work of looking after refugees,” he told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

Islam met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace for more than an hour on Wednesday, when he thanked him for Turkey’s support in building a new mosque in Cambridge, eastern England.

He said it was important to have a “beautiful mosque… in the center of the intellectual heart of Britain”. Cambridge is famed alongside Oxford for its ancient university colleges.

The Abu Bakr Jamia Mosque is being built to house up to 1,000 worshipers. Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, or Diyanet, is contributing to the construction.

The musician also expressed his support for the “will of the people” that prevailed during last July’s coup attempt.

Erdogan posted a photograph of the meeting on his Twitter account. He said: “My dear brother Yusuf, thank you for your visit and sincere conversation. Welcome to Turkey.”

* Fatih Hafiz Mehmet contributed to this story.