Study: War on Gaza draws Britons to Islam

LONDON, Dec. 5 (YPA) — A study conducted by the British think tank, the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL), indicates that global conflicts, particularly in Gaza, are a significant factor motivating Britons to convert to Islam.

The study’s findings appear to support claims circulating in the media regarding an increase in Islam conversions following the recent Israeli-Gaza conflict.

The report highlights the potential importance of media coverage linking British interest in Islam to conflicts affecting Muslim communities.

Researchers stated that global conflicts seem to be attracting Britons to embrace Islam.

“This pattern may support media reports published in late 2023 and 2024, which indicate a notable increase in conversions to Islam following the recent Israeli war on Gaza,” the report notes.

The study further suggests that individuals converting to Islam often do so in search of purpose.

The research surveyed 2,774 individuals who had changed their religious beliefs, either by adopting a new faith or abandoning religion altogether. The study concluded that motivations and outcomes varied significantly depending on the religion adopted.

According to the study, 20% of recent converts to Islam cited global conflict as a reason for their conversion, while 18% attributed their conversion to mental health reasons.

In a related context, the latest UK census conducted by the Office for National Statistics revealed that Christians now constitute less than half the population of England and Wales for the first time in British history.

According to The Telegraph newspaper, the census results showed that 46.2% of the population (27.5 million people) described themselves as “Christian” in 2021.

This represents a 13.1% decline from 59.3% (33.3 million people) compared to the results of a similar survey in 2011.

@E.Y.M