Islam in the United Kingdom

Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom, with results from the UK's 2011 census giving the UK's Muslim population in 2011 as 2,516,000, 4.4% of the total population.

Quotes

 * When I was still a member of what is probably best termed the British Jihadi Network, a series of semi-autonomous British Muslim terrorist groups linked by a single ideology, I remember how we used to laugh in celebration whenever people on TV proclaimed that the sole cause for Islamic acts of terror like 9/11, the Madrid bombings and 7/7 was Western foreign policy. By blaming the government for our actions, those who pushed the "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us. More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
 * Hassan Butt, "My plea to fellow Muslims: you must renounce terror" (2007), The Observer


 * It does seem quite ironic to me that the very people who have made no attempt to think for themselves, are always the most vocal in demanding respect for their "ideas". But some Muslims go further than this and claim that they're being victimized in British society. But I don't really believe that's true. I do think a lot of people are getting fed up of hearing about Muslims all the time, and wish that Muslims would just shut up and get on with their lives, instead of constantly belly-aching about nothing, but that's not the same as being victimized. But because we live in a liberal democracy and therefore have certain double standards to maintain, any criticism of Islam or of Muslims always draws the immediate accusation of Islamophobia, a dishonest word which seeks to portray legitimate comment as some kind of hate crime.
 * Pat Condell, "The trouble with Islam" (16 March 2007), YouTube


 * Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen; all know how to die; but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.
 * Winston Churchill, The River War (1899), first edition, Vol. II, p. 248


 * Islam is like a shot of caffeine into British culture. It adds a new dimension to the world, it enriches the variety and scope of our intellectual life.
 * Tom Holland cited in Rahim, Sameer (6 October 2013). "Tom Holland: 'The Histories are a great shaggy-dog story'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 May 2019.