He gives several answers:
Muslims have a higher birth rate than people of other faiths.
Many Muslim societies are dominated by conflict which has led to a significant number of Muslims seeking more secure prospects in the UK.
The presence of an existing Muslim population has played a role in encouraging Muslims to come to the UK. Prospective migrants know they will find relatives, friends or a prospective community well established here.
The growing number of Britons who are choosing to convert to Islam. There are estimations that hundreds of Britons convert to Islam every month which certainly contributes to the steadily increasing number of Muslims.
He then asks: So what does the growth in the number of Muslims mean?
And provides more answers:
The large number of Muslim residents, most of whom are citizens who hold a British passport, are entitled to vote and pay their taxes, should be respected as a significant part of the nation who may have unique needs, but who also have a unique contribution to make to the nation.
.... By the next census Muslims may even double again and make up 10% of the population. These statistics encourage us to think more carefully about the provisions made for British Muslims and the ways in which they are an integral part of the nation.
No doubt you will have your own views (and some questions) about this but what of Huffington Post readers, are they in sympathy with Dr Moosavi? Are they happy we have so many Muslims who apparently may have “unique needs”?
You have probably guessed the answer! But what will surprise and shock you is the scale and virulence of the dislike for the large number of Muslim immigrants we have allowed in the UK shown by these Huffington Post readers.
YES, this is the publication that has as its Political editor, Mehdi Hasan, a former New Statesman journalist described as a devout Muslim who has praised Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is on record in a video clip saying “Once we lose the moral high ground we are no different from the rest of the non-Muslims, from the rest of those human beings who live their lives as animals, bending any rule to fulfill any desire.” And, NO, the Huffington Post readers in question are not a flash mob of BNP/EDL members.
You have to sign up to comment on the Huffington Post and some of those whose views are reported here are so-called “HUFFPOST SUPER USERS” and most have “Fans” numbering from a handful to thousands. They are Huffington Post regulars.
Dr Moosavi’s article attracted 284 comments, a high number for the Huffington Post.
71% say we have too many immigrants and Islam is a problem. This could be as high as 80% if those comments that were removed by Huffington Post moderators are assumed to be anti-Islam and anti-immigrant (a reasonable assumption)
18% of comments were neutral, unclassifiable, just chit-chat, or off-topic.
2% had something friendly to say about Dr Moosavi’s analysis
9% of comments were removed by the HP
These results are summarised in the following table.
| Analysis of 284 comments | |
|---|---|
| Type of comment | % |
| Too many immigrants / Islam is a problem | 71 |
| Neutral/unclassifiable etc. | 18 |
| Something friendly to say | 2 |
| Removed | 9 |
| Total | 100 |
So much for the scale of dislike, now for the virulence.
Extracts from a selection of comments in the order they were made are given below. Several which are particularly notable are maked with a hash#
foolsnhorses
There are hand-outs to just about everyone who lands on our shores.
Once one member of a family is here, a whole family, whether skilled, gifted, or whatever age, whether they have financial resouces or not, seems to then be able to get on the next plane to follow.
Meanwhile, other [citizens] who are in desperate need even for a short time, during periods of unemployment, or sickness, get very little indeed, and yet have contributed to the welfare pot for years.
Chrissie55 HUFFPOST SUPER USER
There is a need for integration, & for all sections of the UK population to recognise the need to limit family size.
ronstarcon
Maybe a law should deal with it
MELkay
To the MP 's of this country [labour, conservative, & lib's ] YOU HAVE LET US DOWN. ......... as of now I & my family will be voting UKIP.
Fitzy1
Good post, I'll be voting that way too!
ianw7
All countries that have Islam as their main faith are torn apart by war, suffer poverty, have no idea how to operate a democratic society, look what is happening in Egypt. Once they have power they will not let it go. This is the thin end of a very disturbing wedge
Stevie Bee
Muslims come to the UK, breed more than the norm, and naturally expect and get whatever it is they want too make them happy. Essentailly not caring less if anyone else is upset, distressed or simply irritated by it. As long as they're catered for they're okay... and protest loudly when they're not. Oh, and throw in a few accusations of racist too for good measure.
majdf18148
They come here because they know they can turn whichever part of this country they choose to live into a mini islamic ghetto.
They come here because the benefits they receive here far outweigh their expected income in their home country.
They come here because life here is better.
They come here because they can use our economy to further their own faith, knowing that similar Christian behaviour would not be tolerated where they originate from.
They come here to have their children and then educate those children at the UK's expense.
They come here because they can.
NO. Of course these statements do not apply to all muslims there are thousands of hard working muslims who want nothing more than a reasonable life for them and their families.,
Sadly too many DO fall into one or more of the preceding categories outlined and I DO believe we must guard against the rising tide of islam in our own country.
Am I a racist or a xenophobe?
No I am a miniscule part of middle England, but I have concerns that unless we begin to reassert the culture of our own country we will be overwhelmed eventually.
#ranwar
I am here because my father came here in the early 60s from Pakistan, worked until retirement and has always been very positive about the UK and against the way some Muslims have gone – lack of work ethic and not being loyal to their country.
Personally, I think UK should massively reduce immigration from poor countries and restrict it to only those with a skill and/or well educated. We don't need more un skilled un educated immigrants who go in to low pay jobs and then need welfare to survive. Also english should be made essential before they are allowed in or only in exceptional cases, can they come in before learning English.
Child benefit should be stopped after the 2nd child. Housing benefit should only be for a year, if they need welfare for most of their income, they should be deported. For myself, I hold a MSc and have worked since it (non stop-since 95) in various govt and private organisations. My wife is a dentist and we have 1 daughter and she'll probably be the only one we have.
Mr Sanity
For the most part, the native population can read the Qur’an and see it for the hateful drivel that it is.
Dan Belcher HUFFPOST SUPER USER
What was it Gaddafi said?..."by the wombs of our women, we will conquer lands without a single shot being fired"
bri999
Why has the number of Muslims in the UK risen so much? Is he joking. Where else in the world would they be handed a house? more money than they have ever had in their lives? free health care, free education? no need to work?
What right have successive Governments had to throw the hard earned money of the working population at these people?
Mr Sanity
There is a certain difficulty with expecting the younger generation of Muslims to discard religion as have former Christians in that they have a much more controlling culture, with rejection from family, former friends, and/or their entire community being one of the most common outcomes of open apostasy.
GB56B
What a stupid question WHY? We all know why, a house with a proper roof on it, benefits - free NHS - etc etc etc, they hate us but are quite happy to use of system to the max …. they breed like rabbits because that way they can get more and more benefits
#LLCoolCal HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Muslims don't mix well [and] do not assimilate They don't help themselves much either with people like Abu Hamza calling the UK a "toilet" (while claiming benefits).
It’s a historical fact that Christians and Muslims never get along and even their Koran says not to trust us etc. Yet successive govts continue to allow them in and the people are ignored.
One day there will be a point when the people have had enough and the UK is overcrowded, and all those years ago Enoch Powell will be right - all be it, not black v White, but it will be Muslims against the rest..
billobong
Enoch Powell was often ridiculed for his "Rivers of Blood" speech bit in essence much of what he predicted has come true. Thanks to the last Labour government under Blair & Brown we have had almost uncontrolled immigration over the last ten years added to which is the incompetance of the Borders Agency who do virtually zero to find and eject overstayers. As Powell said “we must be mad".
Our country is silently being invaded by immigrants many of them Muslim who are intent on creating an Islamic state with Shariah Law in United Kingdom. They are already in the majority in London, Birmingham and Leicster and at the rate they reproduce no doubt other major cities will follow until the white anglo saxon is the exception to the rule.
Can we trust our politicians to get a grip of the situation ... NO They are too busy feathering their own nests and fiddling their expenses.
4tech
I work with a Muslim and he is married to, and has had kids with his cousin. He was also born out of inbreeding and as a number of health related issue. Multiply this with all the others and you have one big drain on the NHS.
brentmeister27
Colonal Gaddafi summed it up this way. In an interview on Al Jazeera he said this, "Islam will take over Europe without violent force within a few decades
We have 50 million Muslims in Europe, there are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe – without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades, if Turkey is added to the European Union, Europe will have another 50 million Muslims”.
Porphrygenitos
There is no way that Islam as an ideology can sustain a modern stable, prosperous, technological civilisation such as our own.
This country will be ruined as will the rest of Europe. Look at the state of the Islamic world, only the Gulf states have a decent GDP per capita and that's because of hydrocarbons and is dependent on Western know how and expertise.
None of them are capable of producing anything the world wants, either economically or culturally. The Islamic world is completely parasitical on the developed world and is dependent on it for aid to pay for essentials.
brentmeister27
At the current rate it's a question of when not if. Thankfully I'll be dead and buried when the black flag of Islam hangs over Downing Street. The politicians have been warned repeatedly but they just don't listen.
mobilemenace
I would say it's because we're not allowed to kick them out!!
jmt432p
Not just london, they are spreading at an alarming rate into the surrounding towns. Like someone said in a post above, this isn't immigrantion - this is an invasion.
mrsbettyboop4
Rabbits come to mind, what's up doc, oh I'm preggie again
#cynic123
Time for the government to limit them to one child, let the NHS start sterilising them when they go into hospital..
#mirola
Your ideas look like the ones 70 years ago, Nazi Germany. Bit extreme if you ask me.
ebell411
It couldn't possibly be that more and more are coming here, having more children therefore claiming more child allowance, claiming as many benefits as possible, getting free housing, taking advantage of a free health service etc. could it?
gerry3
Free Housing, Free Medical Treatment, Free Money, Free Education, Free Dentists, Free Opticians, so why wouldn't you want to come here?
Tracingagent HUFFPOST SUPER USER
It is because they have done what Hitler could not do - INVADE US.
janilly
With Labours blessing!
jimbraid1 HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Everyone should notice that the huge increase in immigration of Muslims and non-Christians took place during New Labour’s watch.
mirola
The doors are wide open and the first ones that have crossed the dam decades ago are followed in plane - and ship loads.
Loads of (for instance) Pakistani and Indian ladies in the UK, but no, the families/men need to import new ones from the 'motherland' as the local ones are too developed and 'western'.
UK DUTY PAID
Lack of Zyclon B?
greatbrittan
Enoch Powell, a great man, shouted down by the left for telling the truth
boothybunch
I refuse to comment on this story as I would be branded a racist for speaking my mind
Mickey Mouse 1
To carry the projections further, it is not unrealistic to see the Muslim flag flying over Westminster.
xrahul2295x
Really aren’t we all sick of muslims?
#Townliar
"Why has the number of muslims risen so much?" let me think......they breed like rabbits? We let them in without question? ...shall I go on?
chatnuptime1 HUFFPOST SUPER USER
They do have more kids per family then the traditional English family yes. Twice as many if not more. And they marry younger as well.
iluvchoccie17
Stop the benefits system, see the numbers drop. Simple.
#Porphrygenitos
Labour relaxed the primary purpose rule allowing spouses to settle here. They also seem to have had ideological reasons for basically rendering the Border Agency and its predecessor completely unfit for purpose so that illegal immigrants never left the country. It really isn't that hard running a bureaucracy and its associated database/filing system. To get it this wrong is automatically going to raise suspicions this was done by design.
As for contributing a significant proportion of our GDP only a minority of immigrants are in high earning jobs, many don't work at all and contribute nothing. When you consider the costs of health care, schooling and all the other infrastructure needed to support the additional numbers then it is highly probable that mass immigration lowers the key GDP per capita figure.
LorenJade
"There are several reasons why the number of Muslims has doubled." Yes, this could possibly be because this joke of a country lets every Tom, Dick and Harry in to it. Then again why wouldn't you come here, housing, benefits, free health care, why not!!
"So what does the growth in the number of Muslims mean?"
One day this country will be a Islamic country, because they will just take over. Only ones that should be able to come here are the ones that are going to be beneficial to our country, i.e doctors. Apart from that they should not be allowed here. Bet their country's wouldn't allow us to go over there and sponge off their government. Absolute joke.
Dogsknob
The UK benefits system is so sloppy and open to abuse that it must be a significant pull factor for the poor in third world & developing countries.
By simply getting residence status, you can sign on and get money for life (much more than you will get working in Africa or Pakistan), council-funded accommodation AND child benefit for each child you have (providing an incentive to have more and more kids), thus creating a vicious circle of an ever-increasing Muslim percentage of our population.
1. They have more kids than their non Muslim counterparts
2. We have sloppy immigration controls
3. You can get money for staying at home in this country
4. Then you can work as a private hire driver and live a decent lifestyle without paying a penny in tax.
Simples!!!
Philip J Sparrow HUFFPOST SUPER USER
The issue of high birth rates within the muslim community seems to be only skimmed over in this article, even though this is clearly a greater contributor than actual new migration and far greater than conversion.
There are at least three factors we have known for some time which affect fertility rates: low socioeconomic status, under-education of women, and the average age of marriage. We can see in pretty much every country in the world that birth rates are significantly higher among the poor, uneducated and young.
Without wishing to make too many generalisations, the islamic community in the UK tend to reside in deprived, urban areas and their tradition is one which encourages early marriage, particularly for women. If these conditions persist, it is reasonable to assume that the growth of the population will continue apace.
However, it is not reasonable to assume that increased integration into UK society - which is happening, however slowly - will not have an affect. We are already seeing that teenagers of South Asian origin are more likely to stay in school post-GCSE and the numbers are applying to university are increasing steadily.
Furthermore, women of South Asian origin are actually more likely to go than men. This should absolutely be encouraged, not just for their own benefit, but for the reduction in fertility rates which education tends to cause. We can do this by lowering, or preferably eliminating tuition fees and promoting higher education wherever possible.
