By KUNA
London : The increasing influence of Islam on British culture is disclosed in research Tuesday that shows the number of Muslims worshipping at mosques in England and Wales will outstrip the number of Roman Catholics going to church in little more than a decade, it was disclosed here.
Projections to be published next month estimate that, if trends continue, the number of Roman Catholic worshippers at Sunday Mass will fall by 679,000 by 2020, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
By that time, statisticians predict, the number of Muslims praying in mosques on Fridays will have increased to 683,000.
The figures from the charity “Christian Research” also suggest that over the same period the number of Muslims at mosques will overtake Church of England members at Sunday services.
Church spokesmen point out, however, that a growing number of Anglicans worship at other times of the week.
The projections show that if the Churches do not reverse their historical decline, there will be more active Muslims than Christians in Sunday services across Britain before the middle of this century.
The figures, based on British Government and academic sources and the latest edition of Christian Research’s “Religious Trends,” come amid growing tensions over the place of Muslims in British society, The Daily Telegraph added.
They follow fierce rows over the extent to which Islamic law should be recognised and over claims that “no-go” areas for non- Muslims are emerging in parts of the country, the paper concluded.