Non-Christian Religions

Apart from Christianity, there are at least five major non-Christian religions with a substantial number of adherents in Britain. These are usually either immigrants or descendants of immigrants:

Judaism Islam Hinduism Sikhism Buddhism

Since its establishment, the Christian Church has been closely linked to the State and has played an important part in moulding the social structure of the country. For non-Christian religions there was little room left, therefore the Jewish community was for a number of centuries the only non-Christian faith in England.

The first groups of Jews came to Britain during the Norman invasion and were mainly merchants and moneylenders and stayed until 1290 when King Edward I expelled Jews from the country by royal decree. The present Jewish community dates from 1656, having been founded by Sephardim (Jews from Spain, Portugal and North Africa). Later, in the 19^th century a substantial group of some 200,000 Jewish settlers came from Germany and central Europe, these are known as Ashkenazim. The Jews in Britain are divided into the majority Ashkenazi Orthodox faith (that belong to the United Synagogues and whose main spiritual authority is the Chief Rabbi) and the

minority Reform group. A much smaller number of Sephardic Orthodox still recognises a different leader, the Haham. Today the Jewish community in Britain has about 267,000 members and is, after that in France, the largest Jewish population in Europe. The majority of Jews live in Greater London, and the rest live mainly in urban areas outside London, like Leeds, Manchester and Salford and in Brighton.

Non-white immigration into Britain during the past 50 years has resulted in the substantial growth of other non-Christian communities: Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Muslims.

The Muslim community (with some 1.9 million) is the largest in the country. Most of them come from Pakistan and Bangladesh, but there are sizeable groups from India, Cyprus, the Arab countries, Malaysia and parts of Africa. This population is increasing due to both a higher birth rate among Muslims and a growing conversion to Islam. The Muslim community is the most important and not only on account of its size. The British Muslims have become very vocal in expressing their opinions on a range of matters. There are over 1,000 mosques and community Muslim prayer centres throughout Britain. There are also important mosques and cultural centres in Liverpool, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Mosques are not only places of worship; they also offer instruction in the Muslim way of life and facilities for educational and welfare activities.

There is also a large Hindu community in Britain. This religious group comprises around 560,000 members, most of who come from India. The Hindu community is made up predominantly of Gujaratis and Punjabis, the remainder including Bengalis and Tamils. The largest groups of Hindus are to be found in different areas of London, Leicester, Birmingham, Bradford and Leeds. The first Hindu temple, or mandir, was opened in London in 1962 and there are now over 150 mandirs scattered around the country.

The large Sikh community in Britain comprises over 340,000 members and also originates from India, particularly from Punjab. The largest groups of Sikhs are to be found in Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Wolverhampton. Sikh temples, or gurdwaras, cater for the religious, educational, social welfare and cultural needs of the community. The oldest gurdwara in London was established in 1908 and the largest is in Hounslow, Middlesex (to the west of London). There are over 200 gurdwaras in Britain.

Buddhism is also represented in the UK and consists largely of adherents of British or Western origin with some numbers of South Asian and Asian background. According to the Census there were about 152,000 Buddhist in the UK in 2001. There are well over 500 Buddhist groups and centres, with at least 50 monasteries and temples in the country. All the main schools of Buddhism are represented.

Small communities of other faiths include about 30,000 Jains, whose religion is of ancient Indian origin. The Zoroastrian religion, or Mazdaism, originated in ancient Iran. It is mainly represented in Britain by Parsi community, whose ancestors left Iran in the 10^th century (estimates range from 5,000 to 10,000 members). The Bahai movement, which originated in 19^th-century Iran, regards all the major religions as divine in origin; there are an estimated 6,000 Bahais in Britain. Rastafarianism emerged out of the back-to-Africa movement in the West Indies early 20^th century, and arrived in the UK through Jamaican immigration in the 1950s. It has no single creed, but draws heavily on the Old Testament.

These non-Christian religions have notably changed the religious face of the British society and have influenced employment conditions, since allowances have to be made for non-Christians to follow their own religious observances and customs.

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