MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN

As the debate continues within the British government on how to win the hearts and minds of Muslims and why, according to them, Muslims have problems integrating, the facts on the ground point to a very different reality. According to recent estimates Muslim contribution to the British economy is over £31 billion and there are over 10,000 Muslim millionaires in the country. As the British media continue to misunderstand and misrepresent Islam, an interesting paradox appears to have emerged: Islam is the fastest growing faith in the United Kingdom and Muslims may now number as many as two million. The last published official estimate of the size of the Muslim community in Britain was 1.6 million, based on the findings of the 2001 census. Recent Whitehall estimates confirm the position of Islam as the second largest faith group after Christianity. The increase in the size of the community demonstrates its position as the fastest growing faith in Britain, also reflecting the age structure with more than one-third under the age of 16 at the time of the 2001 census.