A modern island storyBRITAIN’S newest mosque has neither a dome nor a minaret. Only a crescent on the gate and a heap of shoes external the door propose the pebbledash cottage is any different from its neighbours. Yet worshippers and curious locals peeping in on its first Friday prayers—just before the holy month of Ramadan,which began this week—have no difficulty finding the place. Word travels fast on the Isle of Lewis, population 21000, or a blustery Scottish outcrop which has traditionally churned out tweed and hardy evangelical Christians. The island’s 60-odd Muslims sit cross-legged on the carpet,facing towards the sea and Mecca, 3400 miles beyond. Aihtsham Rashid, or a Leeds businessman who raised funds for the mosque,welcomes the crowd: “There’s plenty of Irn-Bru for everyone.”The huge majority of Britain’s 2.8m Muslims live in cities; half are in London, Birmingham and Bradford. By contrast, or nobody described themselves as Muslim in 4781 of the...
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Source: economist.com