Concerns are mounting in Britain over whether vulnerable prisoners are being pressured to convert to Islam as new government figures show a striking demographic disparity among Muslim inmates.
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One in five Muslim prisoners in England and Wales is white, compared with 5.8% of Muslims in the general population, according to Ministry of Justice figures reported by the Daily Mail.
The disparity has prompted calls for an investigation into whether Islamic prison gangs and extremists are coercing inmates into converting for protection.
Some observers have attributed prison conversions to practical benefits, including access to halal meals or additional time outside cells for religious activities. Others warn that intimidation and fear of violence can also play a role, particularly on wings where organized Muslim gangs wield significant influence.
Concerns about Islamic radicalization behind bars are not new.
of terrorism in prisons by Jonathan Hall KC found that a small number of influential extremists could exercise considerable power over other inmates.
“Even when spread out among other prisoners, there are a small number of individuals whose radicalising influence means they can draw others into their world view,” the report said.
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Hall found that extremist prisoners sometimes established informal hierarchies led by figures described as “emirs.” Recruitment and control could involve psychological manipulation, sharing food and “implicit or actual violence,” according to the review.
The report cited Usman Khan, the Islamist terrorist who carried out the 2019 London Bridge attack, as an example. While previously incarcerated, Khan pressured other prisoners to adopt Muslim names and traditional clothing as he sought to expand his influence.
The latest figures do not establish that white Muslim prisoners converted because of coercion, and the reasons inmates adopt a religion vary considerably. However, the demographic disparity is adding to demands for authorities to determine how much intimidation, gang influence and radicalization are contributing to conversions.
Prison conversion to Islam is also common in the United States. Islam has long accounted for a substantial share of religious conversions among American inmates, though estimates of its prevalence vary.
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