Richard Kerbaj, seconded from the Australian to London's Times looks today at Muslim population figures in Great Britain. He finds that in the four years 2004-08:
- The Muslim population grew by 535,000, from under 1.9 million to over 2.4 million.
- It multiplied 10 times faster than the rest of society during that period.
- The Christian population fell by more than 2 million to 42.6 million during that period.
- The largest Muslim population is in the under-4 bracket, while the largest Christian population is in the over-70s.
Specifically, the Labour Force Survey of around 53,000 homes estimates the total number of Muslims as follows:
2004: 1,887,000
2005: 2,017,000
2006: 2,142,000
2007: 2,327,000
2008: 2,422,000
Specialists attribute the increase to immigration, a higher birthrate, conversions to Islam, and a growing willingness of Muslims to describe themselves as such.
Comment: It would be a mistake to extrapolate linearly either the Muslim increase or the Christian decline, but it would also be a mistake to ignore the implications of such a straight-line exercise. (January 30, 2009)
