UK: Muslim population growing

The Muslim population in the UK is undoubtedly growing.  The question is by how much.

Barely a year ago the home secretary said that there might be as many as 2 million Muslims in the country, an increase of 400,000 in seven years.  This article claims there are now 2.4 million Muslims, an increase of 500,000 in four years.

In order to know how much of an increase there was, we need to look at how many Muslims there were four and seven years ago.  Regarding this point, the data between the two articles is quite different.  One claims that there were 1.6 million Muslims in 2001, according to the census, while this one says there were just over one million in 2004.  Did the census overestimate the number of Muslims in 2001?  

---------------


The Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years, according to official research collated for
The Times.


The population multiplied 10 times faster than the rest of society, the research by the Office for National Statistics reveals. In the same period the number of Christians in the country fell by more than 2 million.


Experts said that the increase was attributable to immigration, a higher birthrate and conversions to Islam during the period of 2004-2008, when the data was gathered. They said that it also suggested a growing willingness among believers to describe themselves as Muslims because the western reaction to war and terrorism had strengthened their sense of identity.


Muslim leaders have welcomed the growing population of their communities as academics highlighted the implications for British society, integration and government resources.


(..)


The total number of Muslims in Great Britain:


2004: 1,087,000


2005: 2,017,000


2006: 2,142,000


2007: 2,327,000


2008: 2,422,000



(more)


Source: Times Online (English), h/t Daniel Pipes


See also: UK: Officials think Muslim population is 2 million

No comments: