Moslems of Europe:    Albania | Bosnia | Bulgaria | England | France | Germany

A 1641 document refers to a “sect of Mahomatens discovered here in London,” and in 1649 Alexander Ross produced the first English translation of the Q’uran. By 1842 some three thousand lascars, Moslem seamen employed by the British East India company, were visiting England every year; the opening of the Suez Canal saw Yemenite sailors set up mosques in Cardiff, Liverpool and London. These foreign-born Moslems were joined by British subjects who embraced Islam during their travels – people like lawyer William Henry (Sheik Abdullah) Quilliam, who became a Moslem in 1887 following time spent in Morocco and Algeria and who later went on to found an influential Moslem weekly, The Crescent. Translators like Fitzgerald and Sir Richard Burton introduced a titillated audience to Omar Khayaam and The Arabian Nights, and Victorian colonialism gave us Victorian Orientalism, a simultaneously awestruck and patronizing look at the Ancient and Mysterious East … and the Harems Therein.

Yet with all this history, most of today’s British Moslems trace their roots to the mass immigration of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Like much of Europe, postwar England found itself faced with labor shortages. England turned to its former colonies for migrant workers, an influx which only increased as chaos engulfed Pakistan and other newly born states. In 1951 Britain’s census counted 23,000 Moslems; by 1971 it had 369,000. The British government tried to stem this tide by measures like the Commonwealth Immigrants Act of 1962 and the Immigration Act of 1971. This made it more difficult for unskilled laborers to enter Britain, but did not hinder a growing number of Moslem students, professionals and merchants. Bangladeshi immigrants introduced “Indian” food and curries to the land of boiled beef and grey vegetables, while South Asian merchants opened “Paki cornershops” throughout Albion. Today there are 2 million Moslems included among Great Britain’s subjects.

The Moslem integration into Great Britain was not without its setbacks. A slowdown in the British economy and widespread unemployment led to nasty attacks on South Asians, as the louts took breaks from brawling with each other to engage in a bit of “Paki-bashing.” The 1996 unemployment rate for Britain’s Pakistani/Bengali subjects was 26.9%, contrasted with 7.3% for whites. Still, Britain has generally taken steps to address its racial and religious problems, and its record with regard to its Moslem immigrants and religious and political asylum seekers is generally considered excellent.

Indeed, many would say it is too excellent. Britain’s liberal immigration policies and stringent extradition requirements have made it a haven for political radicals of all stripes, including Islamic radicalzs. Osama Bin Laden’s “Fatwa Against Jews and Crusaders” was first published in Al-Quds, a London Arabic-language newspaper. Many of the high-ranking leaders of groups like Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Salvation Front attended school in Great Britain; others have moved there to escape prosecution in their own countries. British Madrassas (Quranic schools) became a recruiting ground for radicals seeking to promote loyalty to “Ummah” and espousing violence against Jews, homosexuals, and “Western imperialism.” Richard Reid, the British “shoe bomber” was recruited by Al-Qaeda after his conversion to Islam in prison. The British government has further tightened immigration requirements – and has fired 2 of its 130 prison imans for distribution of anti-American and pro-Jihad literature – but many of the most vocal and fiery of the Imans are still preaching to packed mosques of working-class and unemployed youths.

Recent events have made things tougher for Britain’s Moslems. Increased international pressure is likely to lead to greater scrutiny and more extraditions of those Moslems who are tagged as “radical.” (Keep in mind that many pundits refer to secular Ba’ath leader Sadaam Hussein and Syrian Alawite Affez Hassad as “Islamic Fundamentalists” and you’ll understand why this worries many loyal British Moslems who may favor a Palestinian state or criticize British involvement in Afghanistan). There is also growing pressure from the British right wing as the National Front tries to ride Jean Le Pen’s coattails. In response, a growing number of “Euro-Moslems” are asserting their identity. Born in England, they consider themselves British subjects, much as Americans of Italian descent consider themselves “Italian-Americans” rather than “Italians born in America.” Perhaps more important in the long run will be the increasing number of British who are converting to Islam; anecdotal evidence suggests a dramatic rise in conversions since September 11.