UK: Muslims Add Over £31 Billion To UK Economy

By Asa Bennett for Huffington Post UK

British Muslims contribute more than £31 billion to the UK economy and wield a spending power of £20.5 billion, a new report has found.

The paper from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) was published to highlight Muslims’ growing contribution to the UK and to mark the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) coming to London this week.

According to the MCB report, there are 114,548 Muslims in “higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations”. London alone is home to 13,400 Muslim-owned businesses, which create 70,000 jobs. British Muslims are estimated to spend over £1 billion on the halal food industry. There are around 2.78 million Muslims in the UK.

david cameronThe MCB report comes as Prime Minister David Cameron is set to unveil a new Islamic index on the London Stock Exchange. The move marks the capital’s significance as a global centre for Islamic finance, which is expected to be worth £1.3 trillion next year.

Cameron is expected to say: “Already London is the biggest centre for Islamic finance outside the Islamic world. And today our ambition is to go further still.”

“Because I don’t just want London to be a great capital of Islamic finance in the Western world, I want London to stand alongside Dubai as one of the great capitals of Islamic finance anywhere in the world.

“There are some countries which naturally look inwards, pull up the drawbridge and refuse to recognise that the way the world is changing affects their future success. But Britain will not make that mistake.”

The creation of a new stock exchange index listing Islamic compliant companies is intended to attract more Islamic investors to London by making it easier for them to identify suitable investment opportunities.

ARTICLE TWO – THE MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN REPORT FOR WIEF 2013

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The Muslim Pound – How Muslims Add Value to Britain’s Prosperity

  • New report highlights massive investment coming into UK from Muslim world
  • British Muslims make an estimated £31+ billion contribution to UK economy
  • Press conference Monday 28 October showcasing British Muslim entrepreneurs and professionals
  • Part of World Islamic Economic Forum in London and in a non-Muslim country for first ever time

Ahead of the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) launches a report today highlighting the achievements and contribution of British Muslim businesses and business people to the UK economy and the new economic-sectors created to cater for a growing Muslim market.

There are some 2.78 million Muslims in the UK, the report highlights how:

  • They contribute £31 billion plus to the UK economy
  • Some 114,548 Muslims are in ‘higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations’
  • 13,400 Muslim-owned businesses in London alone creating 70,000 jobs
  • Over a £1 billion being spent on the halal food industry
  • British Muslims have an estimated spending power of £20.5 billion

With big deals being made at the World Islamic Economic Forum this week, the report highlights the added value the Muslim world brings to the UK’s economic prosperity:

* With Islamic finance totalling £1.3 trillion, London has become a major centre for the industry

* Islamic finance has helped build the UK’s newsiest landmarks.