Rt Rev Richard Chartres, pictured, applauded vicars who have grown beards to reach out to Muslims in Tower Hamlets

Clergymen should grow beards to emphasise their holiness to Muslims, the Bishop of London has suggested.

Rt Reverend Richard Chartres said the modern fashion for facial hair should not be the preserve of hispters, but would also be likely to impress those from Eastern cultures where wearing a beard could mark a man out as holy.

He singled out two priests in Tower Hamlets - the Rev. Adam Atkinson, Vicar of St Peter's church in Bethnal Green, and Rev. Cris Rogers of All Hallows Bow - who have grown bushy beards.

Writing in the Church Times, Rev. Chartres, who himself sports a 'modest' beard, said: 'The discovery that two of the most energetic priests in east London had recently grown beards of an opulence that would not have disgraced a Victorian sage prompted me to look again at the barbate debate throughout Church history.

'The two priests work in parishes in Tower Hamlets. Most of the residents are Bangladeshi-Sylheti, for whom the wearing of a beard is one of the marks of a holy man.'

He said the desire of the clergy of Tower Hamlets to 'reach out to the culture of the majority of their parishioners can only be applauded'.

He went on to say that David Beckham - who he describes as the 'nearest thing to a secular saint' - has 'stimulated countless imitators'.

One of the priests praised by the Bishop of London, the Rev. Atkinson told The Telegraph he found having a beard had helped provide a connection with many people in his parish, around 85 per cent of whom are Muslim.

He said he was persuaded to grow a beard by the staff at his local pub, the Hound Dog Barbers on Hackney Road.

Applauded: Rt Reverend Richard Chartres singled out two priests in Tower Hamlets - the Rev. Adam Atkinson (pictured left), Vicar of St Peter's church in Bethnal Green, and Rev. Cris Rogers (right) of All Hallows Bow

He said he had forged new links with people after growing his facial hair.

He explained: 'It is an icebreaker – St Paul said "I become all things to all men that by all possible means I might save some".

'In our area there are three main groups, the poor, the "cool" and the Muslims and beards cover at least two groups reasonably well.'

The second vicar - the Rev Rogers - told the newspaper he was approached by a man who told him he respected him because he had a beard.

The man went on to tell him his beard showed dedication and commitment to something and it showed wisdom.

In his article, Rev. Chartres looks at the attitudes to beards throughout history, from Alexander the Great - who was clean-shaven - through to Beckham.

The Bishop described David Beckham (left) as the 'nearest thing to a secular saint' and he has encouraged countless followers

'Early representations of Christ in Western European art, such as the Hinton St Mary mosaic on display in the British Museum, show the Saviour also clean-shaven, and portrayed as some Classical hero,' he wrote.

'In the Christian East, however, the beard was the mark of a philosopher, and images of Christ conformed to this archetype.

'Euthymius the Great, a fifth-century hermit in Palestine and then founder of a monastery on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, would admit only bearded men to his desert community.'