Islam in the United Kingdom

Shah Jahan Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in UK

Islam has been present in the United Kingdom since its formation in 1707, though it was not legally recognised until the Trinitarian Act in 1812. Today it is the second largest religion in the country with estimates suggesting that by 2010 the total Muslim population had reached 2.869 million.

Claims for the first mosque in England include the Shah Jahan Mosque built as a standalone mosque in Woking in 1889 and a mosque installed in a terrace in Liverpool in 1889 by Abdullah Quilliam. The growing number of Muslims has resulted in the establishment of more than 1,500 mosques as of 2007. The majority of mosques are Sunni; in 2010, the affiliation of the mosques was, 65% Deobandi, 20% Barelvi, 6% Salafi, 3% Maudoodi-inspired; of the remainder many were part of other Sunni traditions or unaffiliated, while 66 were Shi'a (4%). The majority of mosque managers are of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin, with many Gujarati, and fewer Arab, Turkish and Somali managed entities.

The Association of British Muslims claims to be the oldest organisation of British Muslims, created in 1889 as the English Islamic Association by Abdullah Quillam. UK-wide Islamic organisations include the British Muslim Forum, the Muslim Association of Britain. the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK, the Islamic Society of Britain, the Muslim Council of Britain, the United Kingdom Islamic Mission (UKIM), the Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, the World Islamic Mission, the Sufi Muslim Council, the Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board, Minhaj-ul-Quran UK, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK, the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain and the Muslim Educational Trust.

A 2009 survey of the attitudes of British Muslims found 77% said they identified "very strongly" with the UK, compared to 50% of the general public. However, only 7% of Muslims in Britain think of themselves as British first, with 81% thinking of themselves as Muslim first. 40% of British Muslims want Sharia in the UK, and 28% of British Muslims want Britain to be an Islamic state. Majority of British Muslim have strongly conservative views on moral issues such as homosexuality and extra-marital sex. They differ dramatically from the views held by the rest of the British population. 68% of British Muslims support the arrest and prosecution of anyone who insults Islam. 25% of British Muslims believe the 7 July 2005 London bombings were justified because of British support for the U.S.-led war on terror,.

The vast majority of Muslims in the UK live in England and Wales: of 1,591,000 Muslims recorded at the 2001 Census, 1,536,015 were living in England and Wales, where they formed 3% of the population in 2001; 42,557 were living in Scotland, forming 0.84% of the population; and 1,943 were living in Northern Ireland.

In 2011, it was reported that UK has around 100,000 converts to Islam with 66% of them being women.

The emergence of the anti-Islamic English Defence League has resulted in demonstrations in British cities with large Muslim populations.

See also

• Islam in England
• Islam in Northern Ireland
• Islam in Scotland
• Islam in Wales
• Religion in the United Kingdom

External links

• Haq Islam: UK blog
• BBC: Islam and Britain Before the 20th Century
• Islam in the United Kingdom
• Muslim Council of Britain
• Muslim working class struggles, article published in International Socialism, 4 January 2007
• Timeline of Muslims in Britain hWeb
• Muslims In Britain, Guide and Directory