Islam in the UK

Between 2001 and 2009, Islam was the second fastest growing religion in the UK. ^[2] The Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking was the first mosque specially built in 1889. In the same year, Abdullah Quilliam built a mosque in Liverpool ^[3] . The first mosque in London appeared in 1924. A growing number of Muslims led to the creation of more than 1,500 mosques by 2007 ^[4] . Most of the Sunni mosques built with funds from immigrants from Pakistan , Bangladesh , Arab countries , Turkey and Somalia ^[5] .

In 2015, the British Islamic Bank Al Rayan published the results of a study of the influence of Muslims on business in the UK, according to which in 7% of organizations at least a third of the directors are Muslims who can influence the activities of their company. At the same time, more than two thirds of Muslims are members of 6% of UK companies as directors. The study also found that Muslims in Britain head mostly small companies with fewer than four directors. Moreover, about a third of the number of directors of British companies are Muslims ^[6] .

According to the 2001 census, the vast majority of British Muslims live in England and Wales (1.536 million out of 1.591 million) ^{[7] [8]} . About 42 thousand Muslims (0.84% ​​of the population) lived in Scotland ^[9] and about 2 thousand lived in Northern Ireland ^[10] . In 2011, 100,000 Muslim converts were reported, 66% of whom are women. In 2011, about 5.2 thousand Britons converted to Islam, and this figure is only increasing every year ^[11] .

According to the British Gitson Institute, more than a hundred Britons convert to Islam every month in the country. An increase in the number of converts is observed in prisons and among adolescents at school ^[12] .

According to the results of a sociological study published in 2014, Muslims in the country's labor market face growing discrimination and have minimal chances of gaining managerial positions. This situation is due to the fact that due to the growing Islamophobia and hostility of Muslims, they are collectively referred to the lower stratum of the country's racial and ethnocultural system. Muslims are perceived as disloyal and as a threat. The probability of getting any job with a Muslim is 76% lower than that of white-skinned British Christians of a similar age group and qualification. Muslim women have 65% lower chances of finding a job than Christian women ^[13] .

By the mid-2010s, there were more than 2,500 Muslim charities in the UK. According to the British State Charity Commission, Muslims are the most generous denominations in the country. In one month of mandatory fasting, Ramadan donates about £ 100 million to those in need. According to a 2013 ICM and Just Giving report, British Muslims gave alms twice as much as the average Briton. According to estimates by the National Philanthropy Council report, Muslim charities collect around £ 542 million annually ^[14] .

Since 1889, the oldest Muslim organization, the Association of British Muslims, has been operating in Great Britain ^[15] .

In 1996, a single representative body of Muslims of the country was created - the Council of Muslims of Great Britain , which was recognized by the government. By the mid-1990s, there were 839 mosques and 950 different Muslim organizations in Britain.