from Religion Media Centre
The Ayaan Institute is launching an investigation into why Britons are converting to Islam, and why many disappear from community life. There is no reliable data set on how many people are converting to Islam in Britain, and estimates vary between 30,000 to more than 150,000.
The team is inviting mosques, charities, and support groups working with converts to contribute anonymised data in a “whole-of-community” census approach. The research director at the Ayaan Institute, Yahya Birt, said: “We know more about convert reoffending rates in the prison system than we do about convert success in family life. The public narrative is stuck on fear or fascination. We want to move to evidence. Why do some converts thrive, while others experience isolation, homelessness, or complete disengagement from religious support networks?”
The co-researcher, sociologist, Dr Will Barylo, said: “This is not a security study. It is a social study about identity, belonging, and institutional failure. If a convert walks away from the Muslim community, we want to know why – not to judge them, but to fix what is broken.”
The research will be conducted in partnership with the the Convert Muslim Foundation and Islamic Education and Research Academy.