Afternoon at London's Central Mosque

Europe, as compared to the United States, has always been influenced more by various cultures and religions that infiltrate the traditional customs and cultures of various countries. In coming to London, I already knew the city and country had a large Muslim population. Today, Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom with around 2.4 million Muslims and the religion and the culture associated with it has become an integral part of English culture. Although I have visited a mosque in Columbia, MO, the experience does not compare to the information and view of the Muslim religion that I gained from visiting the central mosque. The information and background given my the tour leader gave a first hand account of the experiences and prejudices that Muslims face in British culture from the 20th century until present day. When asked about judgments placed on followers of Islam due to the rise in terrorists, the tour guide brushed it off. He acknowledged that he often gets stares and hate looks because of his ethnicity and that many people think he could also be a terrorist. However, he also said that it comes with his culture and that he must become tolerant of the discrimination he faced. This fact alone shows the importance the Muslim culture has on various countries throughout Europe and how the culture has integrated into traditional European culture. Whether Muslims face positive responses or negative responses from their European counterparts, the members of Islam have long been an integral part to European culture and will continue to do so due to the influx of Middle Eastern immigrants into the continent.