“This report is the best intellectual 'guestimate' using census numbers, local authority data and polling from mosques,” Fiyaz Mughal, director of the inter-faith think-tank Faith Matters, told the Independent on Tuesday, January 4.
“Either way few people doubt that the number adopting Islam in the UK has risen dramatically in the past 10 years.”
The finding of the study, performed by Faith Matters, put the number of converts at 100,000, suggesting that about 5000 Britons convert to Islam annually.
Previous estimates have always been inaccurate, failing to differentiate between Muslim born or converts, estimating converts’ number at between 14,000 and 25,000.
New techniques were introduced by the think-tank to get the most accurate results.
Using data from Scottish 2001 census, the only survey defining whether religion was at birth or by conversion, researchers set the proportions of Muslim converts and extrapolated the figures for Britain.
They estimated about 60,699 converts living in Britain in 2001.
Moreover, researchers polled Mosques in London to calculate number of converts in a year, putting the figure at 1400 conversions in London last year.
Extrapolating the number nationwide, approximately 5,200 people were found to be adopting Islam every year, close to French and German numbers; about 4,000 conversions a year.
The accuracy of such number, however, was questioned by some British Muslims.
“My guess would be the real figure is somewhere in between previous estimates, which were too low, and this latest one,” said Batool al-Toma, an Irish born convert to Islam of 25 years who works at the Islamic Foundation.
Britain is home to a sizable Muslim minority of nearly 2.6 million.
Why
Despite the negative portrayal of Islam, large number of Britons choosing to be Muslims was raising questions.
“I think there is definitely a relationship between conversions being on the increase and the prominence of Islam in the public domain,” Mughal told the Independent.
“People are interested in finding out what Islam is all about and when they do that they go in different directions.
“Most shrug their shoulders and return to their lives but some will inevitably end up liking what they discover and will convert.”
Toma, who runs the New Muslims Project, one of the earliest groups set up specifically to help converts, sees a special reason behind every convert’s decision.
“I definitely think there has been a noticeable increase in the number of converts in recent years,” Toma said.
“The media often tries to pinpoint specifics but the reasons are as varied as the converts themselves.”
Interactive programs, planned by Muslims to reach out to the society and defy misconception about their religion, were also attracting a large number of converts.
“Islam is a missionary religion and many Muslim organizations and particularly university students' Islamic societies have active outreach programs designed to remove popular misconceptions about the faith,” Inayat Bunglawala, founder of Muslims4UK, said.
For Mughal, the growing number defied the partial media coverage, which equates Muslim converts and terrorists.
“Converts who become extremists or terrorists are, of course, a legitimate story,” said Mughal.
“But my worry is that the saturation of such stories risks equating all Muslim converts with being some sort of problem when the vast majority are not”.
British Muslims have been in the eye of storm since the 7/7 attacks.
A Financial Times opinion poll showed that Britain is the most suspicious nation about Muslims.
A poll of the Evening Standard found that a sizable section of London residents harbor negative opinions about Muslims.
Though pushing many Britons to seek more information about Islam, the attitude was having its negative effect on Muslims.
“Among certain sections of society, there is a deep mistrust of converts,” said Catherine Heseltine, a 31-year-old convert to Islam, the first female convert to be elected the head of a British Muslim organization; the Muslim Public Affairs Committee.
“There's a feeling that the one thing worse than a Muslim is a convert because they're perceived as going over the other side.
“Overall, though, I think conversions arouse more curiosity than hostility.” (onislam)
A Hindu Atheist university professor, his name is Periyar Dasan in Tamil Nadu State India was recently converted to islam.
ReplyDeleteMasha Allah, Congratulations brother Abdullah Periyar Dasan Welcome to the Ikhwanul Muslimeen: the real universal brotherhood of islam.
It is an undeniable fact that Tamil Muslims had been followers of Hinduism also like our new brother Periyar Dasan. No Tamil Muslim came as a bolt from the blue from Arab lands.
Among the about 5 million Tamil Muslims living, we do not know, (no matter how much research the scholars do) what percentage of these Tamil Muslims originally belonged to the following castes: That is, Harijans, Mukkulathars, Nadars, Vellalars, Naidus, Ahamudayars, Vanniyars, Yadaus, Mudaliars, Adidravidars, Padayachis and Brahmins.
Once they became Muslims centuries ago, their original Hindu castes were destroyed. All of them became inalienable part and parcel of the international brotherhood of Islam: the Ummatul Muhammadiah. This has been the biggest achievement of Islam in India. Brother Abdullah’s progeny will be witness to this phenomena over the next few generations.
That is: Islam had effectively destroyed castes in Tamil Nadu. Anyone looking at the skin colour and physical features of Tamil Muslims know that over a period of centuries, tremendous inter-caste marriages among the converts have made total assimilation possible and desirable. But the Hindu converts to Christianity still proudly (but against the real Christian values) maintains their castes and add their caste names after their names. We have names like Margaret Mudaliar, Jacob Damodaran, Xavier Jaganath and so on.
In many village Churches, even today, Dalit Christians are segregated. They occupy a separate bench. Anyone who does sincere research on the teachings of Periyar and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar knew that for the simple reason that only real Islam is capable of rooting out caste differences, they advised particularly Adidravidars and Shudras to get converted to Islam in order to raise their social status. Thank God Periyar Dasan is courageously showing the way.
Some Hindu critics argue that the Indian ( Tamil) converts to Islam were all once Harijans ( Dalits and untouchables). Even accepting that assumption, for the sake of argument, it makes little sense. Because look at the social status, the economic progress and recognised respect that the Tamil Muslims get in the society compared to their Dalit ( Harijan ) brothers who have been living as namesake Hindus.
Brother Tirumavalavan should be able to comment on this more persuasively. But does the origin of a convert have any weight in the sight of Allah swt? Does not the (once) slave Bilal have an extraordinary status in Islam? Which religion allowed the slaves to have a dynasty of their own ( Read Indian history please). After all Islam’s holy scripture is the only Book that emphatically state as follows;
Quote: “We have created you into nations, clans and tribes so that you recognise each other. In the sight of God, the one closest to God are the ones who are righteous.”
How amazingly beautiful the words are from the Quran.
Islam haters believe that more intellectual Muslims are giving up Islam( perhaps they have in mind Salman Rushdie, that is an extra-ordinary exception of treason) but it is a well documented fact that Islam is the only religion that has the least percentage of its adherents leaving the faith.
ReplyDeleteWhat is more true is that Islam is the only religion that has been attracting more and more well educated intellectuals, social scientists, scholars of other faiths as you can find it yourself from below.
In spite of deliberate hatred by leading orientalists such as Bernard Lewis and other Islam haters, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe. The number exceeds 20 million in Europe alone. Yahya Britt (Jonathan Britt ), a Muslim Convert and the former BBC director has researched thoroughly the data of Christians converting to Islam and concluded that the total number of new Muslims in Britain was 14200.
He explained how Islam’s balanced system, strong beliefs and spirituality gave him that hearts contentment. Amongst the converts there exists many famous personalities which is a great booster for the Muslims who have become a prey to accusations of terrorism and are living in fear’ in the words of Muslim leaders. The Muslim Council has appointed the former health minister’s son Ahmed Dobson as chairman of their new committee which is striving to explain the reality of Islam to the whites living in the United Kingdom.
Part Two : Herbert Scott’s great grand daughter, Emma Clark has also accepted Islam as a way of life, a former designer for the gardens of the Prince of Wales is now involved in designing a mosque’s garden.
She stated to the press a few days ago that ‘I accepted Islam after detesting the doubt standards of Western values and to lee from the filth that surrounds it. Her great grandfather who was the prime minister of Britain in 1908-1916 led his people to the lines of victory in the First World War.
The earl of Yarbrough who is the owner of over 28000 acres of land in Lincolnshire told the press, ‘I have changed my name to Abdul Mateen and would only like to say that ‘Study Islam and you shall see its beauty’. Her Majesty has given full permission for Muslim staff working in Buckingham Palace to take time off to perform their Friday prayers.
Five weeks ago, a leading Indian Professor ( Name Periyar Dasan) who had been an atheist all his life was converted to Islam after doing massive research on the authenticity of the Quran. Do Google search on him. He has taken a Muslim name Abdullah ( means slave of God)
One estimate says that by the year 2050, 20% of Americans will be Muslims due to conversions. Imagine the massive change that may take place in American politics if 20% of the voters are Muslims.
Right now the Jews constitute about 4% of the US and they play havoc in American politics simply because they are the moneyed class of the US.
DR. Maurice Bucaille was a French scientist. In the 1950s and he was personal physician to King Faizal of Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDeleteHe stayed in Saudi Arabia for a long time, learnt the language of the Quran and did six years of massive research on the originality of the Quran having been revealed 1,400 years ago.
After checking the original hand –written copies of the Quran kept at the Topkapi museum in Istanbul he was convinced that Quran has been the only religious scripture in the world that had maintained its originality
He did research on a verse given below on embryology,
“MAN WE DID CREATE FROM A QUNITESSENCE(clay). THE WE PLACE HIM AS A DROP OF SPERM IN A PLACE OF REST FIRMLY FIXED. THEN WE MADE THE SPERM INTO A CLOT OF CONGEALED BLOOD. THEN OF THAT CLOT WE MADE A LUMP( foetus). THEN WE MADE OUT OF THE LUMP BONES AND CLOTHED THE BONES WITH FLESH. THE WE DEVELOPED OUT OF IT ANOTHER CREATURE. SO BLESSED BE GOD, THE BEST TO CREATE. AFTER THAT, AT LENGTH YE WILL DIE, AGAIN ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, YE WILL BE RAISED UP.”
Quran Chapter 33: Verses 13-16.
Because according to him these facts on human embryology was NOT known to scientists until 1922.
But how is it possible that the Arabic Quran has had it for 1400 years. Hence his conclusion was it was not in interpolation by a clever hand to make the Quran scientifically advanced.