A study showing that nearly two-thirds of converts to Islam over the last 10 years were women was welcomed today by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
IHRC said the study, released by the think tank Faith Matters, highlighted that portrayals of Islam as an “oppressive” religion were wide of the mark.
Faith Matters, which says it aims to promote “community cohesion,” found the number of converts to Islam had doubled since 2001 in Britain. Over 70 per cent of converts were white and 55 per cent were white British.
Last year alone there were 5,200 converts to Islam and the report found that media representations of converts overwhelmingly presented them as a “threat.”
Sixty-two per cent of articles in the British press over the past decade linked converts to terrorism while 14 per cent linked them to fundamentalism or extremism.
One of the main problems converts who took part in the study said they faced was the way they were portrayed in the media.
IHRC researcher Arzu Merali said: “The increasing numbers of conversions to Islam, particularly amongst women, belies the various racisms that depict Islam and Islamic communities as oppressive and irrelevant to modern society.
“It is worth noting that Muslims from all backgrounds are amongst those foremost in the struggles for freedom and justice worldwide. I hope this reports helps dispel more of the myths that surround Muslims.”
Faith Matters found the average age of conversion was 27.5 years old and the majority of respondents said they “experience difficulties after converting due to the negative attitude of their family, but over time this attitude becomes more positive.”
They also said “converts can (and should) act as a bridge between Muslims and non-Muslims.”
Source: Morning Star. By Lizzie Cocker. https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/99465