Being mistaken for Muslim

[Rev. Rye]

I'm originally from India but I've lived in Canada for 5 years now. I have a beard and moustache, which are due to testosterone and not religion. Due to my complexion and facial hair, I have sometimes been mistaken for being Muslim. What should I do about this? What would be the quickest way to convince someone that I'm not religious? (Please don't say shave!)

I've been mistaken for Jewish a lot myself. This was even before I finally decided to grow my beard and adopt the Greek Fisherman's Cap as part of my daily wardrobe (making me look like Tevye the Matchmaker to the extent that my Criminology teacher called me "Fiddler on the Roof" exclusively.) I latched onto the long beard because I discovered ZZ Top as a kid, and loved the look, but hated the fact that my genetics wouldn't allow my beard to reach their length. Years later, I'd finally see them live, and on the way to the car after the show, I found some Orthodox Jews greet me with "Shalom." If I could stand the taste of alcohol and wasn't taking anti-depressants (plural) that interact poorly with alcohol, I'd be taking a shot every time someone mistook me for Jewish.