Advertisement

Muslim converts face discrimination says new report

The report studied the challenges and concerns facing Islamic converts in the UK today Credit: PA Images

People who convert to Islam face being shunned by family and friends, and even targeted by the security services, according to a new report from Cambridge University.

Academics from the university's Centre of Islamic Studies found that many Muslim converts also suffered physical and mental abuse.

The study by the Cambridge Centre of Islamic Studies examined nearly 50 Muslim converts of all ages, ethnicities, faiths and social backgrounds.

"I always joke with people that it's a bit like 'coming out' and I've discovered a lot of people who concealed this until the later stages.

I was exposed as a Muslim to friends and family inadvertently and my parents took it hard. They never came to my wedding.

I was also subject to some ridicule at work, which I now look back on as completely unacceptable in the modern world."

– Adrian (Jamal) Heath, Participant