British Muslim Convert Population Has Doubled in the Past Ten Years

IslamToday/Agencies

4/1/2011

The number of Britons choosing to become Muslims has nearly doubled in the past decade, according to one of the most comprehensive attempts to estimate how many people have embraced Islam.

Up to 100,000 converts to Islam are living in the UK,according to a report published today for Faith Matters organisation..

Using a number of sources, including a survey of more than 250 British mosques, census data from 2001 and conversion figures in Europe, the researchers from Swansea University estimate that there could be as many as 100,000 converts - of all ethnic backgrounds - in the UK, with white women leading the growing number of people embracing the Muslim faith.

By comparison, the report estimates that the Muslim convert population of Britain may have been a mere 60,000 people in 2001.

First, by using data from the Scottish 2001 census - the only survey to ask respondents what their religion was at birth as well as at the time of the survey - researchers broke down what proportion of Muslim converts there were and then extrapolated the figures for Britain as a whole.

Then, study by Kevin Brice, of Swansea University found 5,200 people converted to Islam in the UK last year.

Also, a survey was conducted of 122 converts last year which showed 56% were white British, with women making up 62% of respondents. The average age at conversion was just over 27.

The majority of the converts reported difficulties after converting because of the negative attitude of their family, but over time this attitude became more "positive" according to the report.

The majority of the converts saw themselves as both British and Muslim and did not feel disillusioned with British society and culture.

But they also felt their own lives had been "lost" and were "lacking in purpose" before conversion, and feared that there was a "normalisation" of "immoral" behaviour amongst an increasingly less religious British public.

Only a very small minority saw celebrating birthdays, listening to music or reading fiction as prohibited by Islam, with fewer than 10% viewing attending a family Christmas dinner as forbidden.

A majority said that most or all of their close friends were Muslims but almost all felt that Muslims should not keep themselves separate from non-Muslims.

The vast majority of women had changed their appearance after conversion, with a significant majority adopting the hijab, or head scarf.

But the survey showed that the majority of converts disagreed with the niqab, or face veil, in spite of supporting the right of women to wear it.

"Converts do not represent a devious fifth column determined to undermine the Western way of life - this is a group of normal people united in their adherence to a religion which they, for the most part, see as perfectly compatible with Western life," the report said.

"Converts are generally at ease living in the UK and do not feel that British people are essentially hostile to Islam."

The findings have been released after Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former prime minister Tony Blair, attracted widespread publicity when she announced last year that she had converted to Islam.

Faith Matters director Fiyaz Mughal said: "Conversion to Islam has been stigmatised by the media and wrongly associated with extremist ideologies and discriminatory cultural practices.

"Converts have an important role to play in supporting community cohesion, and it is vital that mosques can support them to encourage greater understanding amongst non-Muslims."

Sarah Joseph, a British woman who converted to Islam as a teenager, agrees. She says British converts have a vital role to play in explaining two sides - Britain's Muslim and non-Muslim communities - to each other.

"[Converts have] authentically belonged to two traditions and should act as a conduit to show each side that we share far more than we differ."

22-year-old Aisha Uddin, who embraced Islam two years ago, is another example. She took an interest in religion at school - and started quietly visiting her local mosque to find out more.

"Islam caught my eye and I wanted to look further into it - the people, the culture - and I carried on studying it and studying it, even after school. Living in Birmingham, I was surrounded by the religion."

She says she spent years finding out more about Islam before fully committing to the religion, changing her appearance and starting to pray five times a day.

"Life's changed dramatically, I was a rebel before, I was always getting into trouble at home, going out and staying out - not trying hard enough at school.

"Then when I became Muslim, I sort of calmed down. I wanted to stay at home studying on the internet or reading books. And I'm more happy than I was - I'm proud of who I am, I've got a certain identity."