Islam on the rise in Europe

[Jabhad]

More than 53 million Muslims in Europe

Survey shows Islam on the rise across continent

 

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Posted: October 22, 2005

1:00 a.m. Eastern

 

 

By Wolfgang Polzer

© 2005 ASSIST News Service

 

WETZLAR, Germany – More than 53 million Muslims live in Europe – 14 million of them in the European Union, according to newly released figures.

 

The Central Institute's Islam Archives in Soest, Germany, says the number of Muslims in Europe has increased by 800,000 over the last two years, reports the German evangelical news agency IDEA.

 

 

The institute’s director, Salim Abdullah, says that among the 25 EU states, France has the highest number of Muslims – 5.5 million – followed by Germany with 3.2 million, the United Kingdom with 1.5 million and Italy with 1 million.

 

Taking into account the whole continent, Russia has 25 million Muslims and the European part of Turkey 5.9 million. The Muslim population in Germany is mostly made up of Turkish migrants. But the number of Muslims holding a German passport has risen to almost 1 million.

 

Muslim worship in Germany is on the rise. Approximately 200,000 take part in daily prayers and 493,000 in Friday prayers at mosques and prayer houses – an increase of more than 10 percent over last year’s figures.

 

Islam in Germany is a "young religion," according to the institute, which counts 850,000 Muslims as minors. One in five Muslim adolescents worships regularly.

 

The number of converts to Islam has reached a new high in Germany. According to the institute, more than 1,100 people changed their religion to Islam between 2004 and 2005. Approximately 60 percent of the converts were women. Most converted because they married a Muslim.

 

But the reverse also is true: More and more Muslims in Germany are becoming Christians. Most are Iranians in exile, who left their country after the Islamic revolution of 1979. Iranian converts estimate that each year approximately 60 Muslims are baptized in Germany.

 

The institute believes that more than 100,000 Iranian Shiites have converted to the Christian faith since the Islamic revolution. Most live in the United States.

[Jabhad]

The institute believes that more than 100,000 Iranian Shiites have converted to the Christian faith since the Islamic revolution. Most live in the United States.

I wonder if these converts to Christianity are Baha'is claiming to be Shia Muslims.

[Muhammad]

Interesting stastistics, Islam is on the rise across the globe.

 

haruun, that is a good question, most iranians in the west are not very devout, so they may just have been shi'ites.

[Salafi_Online]

Salamu alaykum

 

 

Bro i have a question for you, does it matter if there are 10000000000000000000 muslims in the world or in Euripe if the qality is bad??? We are the lower of the barrel when it comes to quality.

[Muhammad]

Bro Salafi,

 

Islam values quality over quantity, both in people and deeds.

 

that said, quantity has its benefits too.

 

the above article also mentions some of the quality of the Muslims;

 

Muslim worship in Germany is on the rise.

Allah(swt) knows best1

[Jabhad]

Bro i have a question for you, does it matter if there are 10000000000000000000 muslims in the world or in Euripe if the qality is bad??? We are the lower of the barrel when it comes to quality.

Br salafi, you are right quality matters, and da'wah starts from ordinary Muslims like you and me. Thats why the number of people attending Islamic services is increasing across EU. I was watching news the other day during Turkeys EU membership talks, and they were saying increasing number of Turkish women are starting to cover their hair thanks to the men and women who are doing the dawah there.