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A MINORITY WITHIN A MINORITY: A REPORT ON CONVERTS TO ISLAM IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
M. A. Kevin Brice, Swansea University, UK, 2010

• Using data on conversion from the Scottish Census of 2001, it was calculated that there were 60,669 converts to Islam in the United Kingdom in 2001;

• 55% of converts in 2001 were from the White British ethnic group;

• It is estimated that in 2010 approximately 5,200 people converted to Islam in the UK;

• The total number of converts in the United Kingdom may have risen to as high as 100,000 in 2010;

• British national newspapers regularly present converts in terms of a greater threat to security than other British Muslims;

• The survey of converts to Islam in the United Kingdom carried out during August and September 2010 is the largest survey of its kind to date;

• Profile of respondents:
- 56% White British, 16% Other White, 29% non-White;
- 62% female, 38% male;
- Average age at conversion was 27.5.

• The survey provides no evidence to support the claim that most conversion is driven by the desire to marry a Muslim;

• When thinking about converting, converts got most help and assistance from books, Muslim acquaintances and the Internet;

• The majority received no help from a mosque – mosques are generally thought to not have sufficient provision for converts and less than half of converts felt that mosques had appropriate provision for people interested in Islam;

• The majority experience difficulties after converting due to the negative attitude of their family, but over time this attitude becomes more positive;

• The majority of converts see themselves as both British and Muslim;

• The majority feel that there is more good than bad about British culture and do not feel that most British people are hostile to Islam;

• The majority of converts feel that there is no natural conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in the United Kingdom;

• A significant majority feel that it is important for others to be aware that they are Muslims and feel that religion is important in the upbringing of their children;

• The vast majority of women changed their appearance after conversion, with a significant majority adopting the hijab (either straight away or after some time);

• The majority of converts personally disagree with the niqab, although they feel that ultimately it is a matter of personal choice and support the right of women to wear it;

• The majority do not support strict segregation of the sexes – but do not support “free mixing” of the sexes either;

• The majority stated that most or all of their close friends were Muslims, however, almost all felt that Muslims should not keep themselves separate from non-Muslims;

• The most important problems facing converts to Islam include:
- Lack of support networks for converts;
- Feeling of isolation and rejection by born Muslims;
- The way that converts are portrayed in the media;
- The pressure put on them to comply with the cultural norms of born Muslims.

• Almost all feel that some practices of born Muslims are more to do with culture than with Islam;

• The majority of converts feel that converts can (and should) act as a “bridge” between Muslims and non-Muslims.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309616357_A_minority_within_a_minority_A_report_on_converts_to_Islam_in_the_United_Kingdom

#uk #europa #islam #religia #demografia