“…And our duty is only to deliver ˹the message˺ clearly.” (Ya-Sin, 36:17)
Islam has spread throughout the world thanks to pioneers who saw it as their responsibility to convey the message. One of the best examples of this preaching movement is the Muslim community in the United Kingdom.
Although the British first encountered Islam in earlier centuries, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that the first settled Muslim communities emerged in the country.
The first Muslims to settle in the British Isles were the sailors from Yemen, Aden, Gujarat, and Somalia who arrived in populated ports like London, Cardiff, Liverpool, South Shields, Bristol, and Hull. These groups were the first to represent Islam in the country. Muslims have been present in these early settlements ever since, gathering for rituals like worship, weddings, and funerals.
The founding of the Woking Institute for Oriental Studies in 1884 was one of the most significant steps in the recognition and growth of Islam in the United Kingdom. Gottlieb WilhelmLeitner, an orientalist of Hungarian descent, founded this institute in the town of Woking, south of London, to accurately introduce Eastern languages and religions.
After Leitner’s death in 1899, activities slowed down for a while. However, the activities were restored when Lord Headley, who accepted Islam while in India came to Woking in 1912.
Despite continuing its operations into the 1960s, the Woking Institute for Oriental Studies lost its former prominence as other institutions, like the East London Mosque and the London Central Mosque, were established. In spite of this, it became known in history as a significant organization that contributed to the acceptance and growth of Islam in the British Isles.
Following the Second World War, an influx of workers led to the development of the United Kingdom’s primary Muslim population. In order to fill the labor shortage in the United Kingdom, people from nations like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh moved to industrial cities, establishing the Muslim communities there.
Turkish Cypriots, who began to emigrate in the 1950s, are another group of Muslim immigrants. Those coming from countries such as Malaysia, West Africa, Morocco, Yemen, and Iran due to political or economic reasons also added to the Muslim minority.
The number of Muslims of British origin is increasing day by day. In the United Kingdom, which has a population of 67 million people, there are about 3.9 million Muslims, according to unofficial statistics.
Islamic Institutions and Organizations in the United Kingdom
One of the first activities of Muslims who settled in the country was to build mosques. The total number in the United Kingdom is estimated to be around 1,750.
About fifty of these places of worship are new structures designed in the style of mosques, with the majority being old structures that were later converted into mosques. Some of these are the Central, East London, Suleymaniye, Valide Sultan, Sheikh Nazim, and Aziziye mosques in London and the central mosques in other cities.
The most famous mosque in England is undoubtedly the Cambridge Central Mosque, the first environmentally friendly mosque in Europe, which attracts attention with its design. Named “the epitome of solidarity against discrimination” by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, this mosque is one of the masterpieces of woodworking and has been awarded many awards in this field. The Cambridge Central Mosque, which has a capacity of 1,300 people, reflects the cultural wealth of the country in the best way.
Islamic organizations, Muslim states, and individuals contributed to the construction of these mosques, most of which are used for both worship and social activities.
There are more than 1,000 religious organizations in the United Kingdom, some local, some nationwide, and some at the international level. The Union of Muslim Organizations, the United Kingdom Islamic Mission, the Muslim World League, the Islamic Foundation, and the United Kingdom Council of Mosques are some of them.
The Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye, which pioneers activities carried out in the name of Islam in many parts of the world, serves all Muslims in such areas as worship, religious guidance, and religious education through the British-Turkish Diyanet Foundation, which was established to support the services of the Turkish Religious Services Consultancy and Diyanet in the United Kingdom.
