White Britons are the biggest converts to Islam

The number of Britons converting to Islam has doubled in the last 10 years reports a new survey carried out by the inter-faith think-tank Faith Matters.

Faith Matters calculated that there were nearly 70,000 converts to Islam in the UK in 2001 and that 56% were white Britons.

They estimate that the numbers of converts may have risen to as high as 100,000 at the end of 2010, with as many as 5,000 new conversions nationwide each year.

The survey found that the new converts were 56% white British, 16% Other white, 29% non-white, 62% female, 38% male, and that the average age at conversion is 27.5

The survey carried out during August and September last year is the largest of its kind to date.

Fiyaz Mughal, founder and director of Faith Matters stated that the report does not look to provide an answer to why people convert to the Muslim faith, but rather to answer factual question about how many people have converted and what problems conversion has caused them; the types of relationship converts have with other Muslims and non-Muslims, and what roles converts play with the Muslim and wider communities.

The report also states that many of the white British Muslim respondents regarded themselves as individuals that can act as a bridge between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Winsome-Grace Cornish

Main image: 2008 BBC TV drama 'White Girl' - depicting Leah a school

convert to Islam.