Beirut, Rabi Thani 3/Jun 14 (IINA) – Dr. Suha Taji Al-Farouqi, professor at the Duram University in Britain delivered a lecture here on the "Britain’s Muslim Communities: A Glimpse of their Life and Some of Their Contemporary Concerns." The venue of the lecture was the Imam Awzai College of Islamic Studies, and a cross-section of Lebanese society attended.

She first gave a background to the Muslim presence in Britain, who, she said, at 2,000,000, now forms five percent of the population. She said Muslims in Britain form half of the ethnic groups, and they speak nearly 100 different tongues, and hail from 56 different countries of the world, adding that the majority of them come from the sub-continent that comprises Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

Dr. Farouqi said the next largest ethnic Muslim group is that of Arab and African, followed by Iranians, Cypriots, Turks, Malaysians, Nigerians, and Muslims from former Yugoslavia, most of them under 38 years of age. She said that more than 55 percent of Britain’s Muslims were born in the country, while many others came at a very young age, and added that there are around 10,000 indigenous British Muslims who had embraced Islam as a religion of choice.

Dr. Farouqi went on to say that there are now 1500 mosques in Britain, whereas in 1963 there were hardly 13 mosques, and there are a number of Islamic schools, and around 1400 Islamic organizations, to cater for their needs.

She went on to say there are several Muslim members of local and municipal councils, three Members of the House of Lords, plus a Members of the House of Commons, while the Muslim Council of Britain brings together 300 of the Islamic organizations, besides the Federation of Islamic Organizations which has 214 organizations under its umbrella. She added that nearly all Muslims in Britain owe their loyalty to the country, as shown by a recent referendum, and wound up the lecture by talking about the role the Muslims of Britain could play as part and parcel of that nation.