Muslims outpace Anglicans in UK

The Sunday Times (UK) ^ | 1/25/04 | Nicholas Hellen

[saquin]

ATTENDANCE at Britain’s mosques has outstripped the number of regular worshippers in the Church of England for the first time.

Figures compiled from government and academic sources show that 930,000 Muslims attend a place of worship at least once a week, compared with 916,000 Anglicans.

Muslim leaders said it was a landmark in the rise of Islam in Britain and that Muslims must receive a share of the Church of England’s privileged status.

This weekend David Hope, the Archbishop of York, second in the church hierarchy, conceded defeat. His spokesman said: “The archbishop acknowledges the overtaking of Church of England numbers by the Muslim community. But he believes that many more people have an affinity to the church than the number recorded as having attended once on a Sunday.” According to the 2001 census, three-quarters of the British population regards itself as Christian.

The Muslim community does not keep registers of attendance in mosques. However, the 2001 census included a question about religious adherence.

Those results, released last year, have been supplemented by surveys to give the first reliable assessment of worshipping Muslims.

The census recorded 1.59m Muslims but academics believe the true figure is at least 1.8m. Ceri Peach, professor of social geography at Oxford University, said the census failed to record the balance because the question was voluntary.

Research by Tariq Modood, a professor of sociology at Bristol University, found that 62% of Muslims pray in places of worship. The total is about 930,000 if young children, most of whom do not worship in the mosque, are excluded. The figure underestimates the number of practising Muslims. Mohammed Anwar, professor of ethnic relations at the University of Warwick, said: “In addition to those who go to the mosque, many Muslims also pray at home.”

Immigration from Eastern Europe and conversions are adding to the number of Muslims. Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said that British converts to Islam totalled 20,000 in the past 10 years.

Muslim leaders now want to translate their numerical advantage into tangible gains. The Church of England commands 26 seats in the House of Lords but Lord Ahmed, a Labour peer, said 10 extra seats should be allocated to other religions.

Peter Brierley, executive director of the Christian Research Association, pointed out that the total number of Christian worshippers still far outstrips the number of Muslims. The Catholic church has about 1.5m British worshippers.

[A. Pole]

Muslim leaders said it was a landmark in the rise of Islam in Britain and that Muslims must receive a share of the Church of England’s privileged status.

Wow! And for how long the Church of England will be tolerated? How many churches are in Saudi Arabia?

[A. Pole]

The firewall has already been breached in countries like Nigeria where the Christian population (in large part conservative Anglican) is persecuted and often murdered by their Moslem neighbors.

And much earlier it was breached in Northern Africa (it was Christian for centuries), in Syria, in Asia Minor (where the Ecumenical Councils took place and which is called Turkey now) in Egypt - the craddle of monasticism. It was fixed in Spain, Greece, Serbia and Russia.

[dsc]

"Wonder what Winston would say if he were still around."

I think he would say that unless Western Civilization finds the courage to expel the Muslims, it is finished.

[wylenetheconservative]

AMEN.

[ahadams2]

Thanks to Loyalist for the ping, Ping.

[ahadams2]

only a tiny minority of Anglicans, mostly concentrated in the US, some parts of Canada, the UK, and some parts of South Africa have wandered from the faith, the other 50 million are doing just fine.

[edwords]

Mexicans indeed have a Western European culture.

[July 4th]

As I've said before on FR, as illegals go, the US has got it best. At least they're Christian.

[Ax]

The Brits and the French are paying the price of empire. Their former serfs are now on the home ground and it ain't going to be pretty....

[Free ThinkerNY]

[PattonReincarnated]

I am a latent Episcopalian – America’s church in the Anglican Communion. I refuse to go to church. I refuse to give money to the Church. Until Anglicans can get their act together on what is right and wrong, and recognize what is good and evil I refuse to be a part of their mess. I know many that have been driven from the church by queers, political correctness, and fuzziness on right and wrong. I have no doubt about the reason why a minority (Muslims) can out-pace the majority in the UK. Same is true in the US. At one time the Episcopal Church was the dominant church in America. Stray from the truth, and the flock will stray.

[yankeedame]

I hate to say it, but the Anglicans have gone so wishy-washy that they have lost many believers.

I was thinking the same thing. The COE churchs weren't (aren't) exactly full-to-bursting, regardless.

[yankeedame]

The Brits and the French are paying the price of empire..

Oh, buttermilk! As if the Muslims never had an empire themselves.

[secret garden]

We already know what his parrot would say.

[secret garden]

Churchill was Anglican.

[tubavil]

More like "and how it ENDS"

Lord achmed, ACHMED!?!?!?

Dead nation walking.

[Siamese Princess]

I am a latent Episcopalian – America’s church in the Anglican Communion. I refuse to go to church. I refuse to give money to the Church. Until Anglicans can get their act together on what is right and wrong, and recognize what is good and evil I refuse to be a part of their mess. I know many that have been driven from the church by queers, political correctness, and fuzziness on right and wrong. I have no doubt about the reason why a minority (Muslims) can out-pace the majority in the UK. Same is true in the US. At one time the Episcopal Church was the dominant church in America. Stray from the truth, and the flock will stray.

Ditto. I'm keeping an eye on the conservative dissidents (the ones with traditional Anglican beliefs). Know anything about the Reformed Episcopal Church?

[Travelgirl]

Europe will wake up too late.

So will the US.

[Capriole]

Europe will wake up too late. So will the US.

Yep. There is a great deal of finger-wagging at Europe on this thread, but the sad fact is that we Americans have done the same thing with our egalitarianism and our charity. We have invited to our shores millions who have taken advantage of democratic ideals and economic opportunity here and would if they could take over entirely. When they achieve anything like parity they demand supremacy. Soon--in my lifetime--Christianity will be driven underground.