Worcester Muslims

The first large group of Muslims arrived in Britain about 300 years ago. They were sailors recruited in India to work for the East India Company, and so it's not surprising that the first Muslim communities were found in port towns.

Ships' cooks came too, many of them from Sylhet in what is now Bangladesh. There are records of Sylhetis working in London restaurants as early as 1873.

Britain's Muslim population are almost all people who immigrated to Britain in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, or their descendants.

During the first quarter of the 20th century it was estimated that there were around 10,000 Muslims in Britain. At this moment in time there are around 2% - 4% of the population, and over half of them were born in Britain.

Many of the immigrants in the 1950s and 60s came from India and Pakistan in search of a better material life. They could earn 30 times as much in Britain as they could in Pakistan.

While many planned to bring their families to Britain once they'd achieved financial security, others hoped to save money to buy land in Pakistan and then return to the families they had left behind.

Most immigrants came from farming areas such as Azad Kashmir and the Northwest Frontier, which had close connections with Britain as established recruiting grounds for the British army and the merchant navy.

Almost all Bangladeshis came from Sylhet, which also had a long tradition of providing immigrants to Britain.

Muslims are involved in every walk of British life - from politics, academia, law, the arts and social services to humanitarian aid work, business and finance. 

The Muslim community is increasingly affluent and comprises a substantial small businesses component.

The small businesses component is of great importance to the economy of Britain, as it generates employment, and also benefits the economy in the form of business taxes.

The Muslim run businesses are more often than not, family run businesses; hence the younger members of the family are encouraged to run businesses, thus, playing active roles in society and contributing towards Britain.

Muslims are participating in the very heart of matters by becoming more politically active. And that’s not all – the number of Muslims councillors and lord mayors is set to increase.