Islam: Europe's Second Largest Religion The History of Islam in Europe European Leaders and Islam Those Who Turn To Islam Reports of Islam in The Media

Those Who Turn To Islam

As stated above, the sympathy that leaders feel for Islam deeply affects the desire of people to approach Islam. One indication of this is the number of Europeans who, over the last few years, have converted to Islam. Research shows that these new converts are not uneducated; rather, most of them have a university education and a career.

The April 30, 2001, edition of The Daily Telegraph published information about the turn to Islam, especially in England. While interviewing converts, the following picture emerged: Most of them have status in society, have strong family connections, and chose Islam after considerable research and study. For example, Joe Ahmed-Dobson, son of the former Minister of Health, was 16 years old when a friend gave him a copy of the Qur'an as a gift. In it, he says, he found the answers to all his questions. He officially accepted Islam at the age of 23, and was supported by his family in this decision. Apparently, his father gives him Islamic books as Christmas presents every year. Among recent converts in England are people like the son of John Birt, the former general director of BBC, and the daughter of Lord Justice Scott, a prominent judge. Over the past 20 years, an estimated 20,000 people in England have converted and, as in many other countries, the movement toward Islam has accelerated. According to the Manchester Mosque, after the events of 9/11, sixteen individuals accepted Islam there alone. One of the interesting things revealed by such research on converts is that far more women are turning to Islam. In America, one in four converts is a woman; in England, the figure is one in two.74

Muslims in England (Above) The Queen's first time in a mosque, England has one of the densest Muslim populations. The English press often reports on Muslim issues. One of these special reports, "Special Report: Muslims in Britain," was posted on the BBC's Internet site. The Telegraph carried an article, "My dad buys me books about Islam,"on how English people accepted Islam. Women form the great majority of English converts.(Below) English women stream to Islam

Islam also is growing rapidly in Denmark. After the official Protestant religion comes Islam, and the number of Catholics is slightly less than the number of Muslims. Of the 5.5 million Danes, 3% are Muslims.75 This growth in the number of Muslims is the result of high immigration. This increase was discussed in the Danish press in a report entitled "The Future of Denmark: Every Second Person is a Muslim." Research done by the well-known sociologist Eyvind Vesselbo, who lives in Denmark, shows that the number of Muslims in Denmark will increase considerably in the near future.76

74. "My Dad Buys Me Books about Islam," The Telegraph, December 31, 2001.
75. http://www.islam.dk/.
76. Milliyet, October 12, 2001.