This mosque is by no means the only place of worship for the approximately 20,000 Muslims in the town of 200,000 there may be as many as 8 - 10 Muslim groups or sects that would meet at other locations around town. As in many other places in England and the rest of Europe, in Luton there is a significant Muslim population that is growing steadily. Shops, businesses, and some factories are being run by and exclusively for Asian Muslims. Government schools in the area have student populations approaching 95% Muslim. Stricter Muslims attend Islamic schools which are also multiplying in number. These schools teach basic subjects but also major on the Arabic language and the Koran.

Bury Park of Luton, England

The vast of the Muslim community lives and works in the area around one main street in Luton. This particular area (Bury Park) is facing many needs and challenges. It has been identified as one of the neediest communities in England and has received government financial support for various projects. However this aide in no way solves many of the social problems that face the people. Issues such as unemployment, drug related crime and violence, domestic violence and academic under-achievement are all concerns that the community is struggling to deal with.

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Love and Support for Luton, England

One local group of Christians that work with women and young children sees many opportunities to offer love and support to these families. One mother of six has a husband who has suffered with a hard drug problem almost all their married life. The husband has never been able to hold down a job. The drain on the family finances is great. The mother has no one to share with so when things are really going badly she seeks the help of the local Christians who pray seeking God's intervention. They have a close relationship with this lady and many others like her. They have seen the Lord Jesus acting in the situation and happily circumstances are improving. Knowing that God loves us is the only answer to meet the needs of the human heart. Our Heavenly Father cares for the problems and needs of all men (1Timothy 4:10, Matthew 5:45)

Prayer Guide for Luton, England

* Pray for the women who are under pressure at home from either domestic violence or from drug addiction of family members.

* Pray for work for young Muslim men. Often due to lack of employment and hope for the future these men are vulnerable to extremist Muslim groups including the Al Qaeda network.

* Pray for follow-up to the "Jesus" video that has been distributed in Bury Park. May many see the story of Jesus in their own language and respond in their hearts to the Love of Christ.

* Pray for more Christians to be involved in prayer and social action. It is in reaching out in support for those in need that the true face of Jesus is seen through his people (Isaiah 58:6-7; 61:1-4).

Background on the United Kingdom (UK) (World Factbook)

Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface.

The first half of the 20th century saw the United Kingdom's (UK's) strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe.

A member of the European Union (EU), it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process, but devolution was fully completed in March 2010.

Economy of the United Kingdom

Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. The economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. Facing burgeoning public deficits and debt levels, the CAMERON government in 2010 initiated a five-year austerity program, which aims to lower London's budget deficit from over 11% of GDP in 2010 to nearly 1% by 2015.

About the UK

Population: 62,698,362 (July 2011 est.) World rank #22

Life Expectancy at Birth: 80.05 years. World rank #28

Ethnic groups: white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Religions: Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)

Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Literacy Rate: 99%

School life expectancy: 16 years

"Take back UK" - Video

A somewhat extreme view of Islam in the UK and thus a good look at the struggles in England

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As the British Empire began to change after WWII and many of the colonies gained their freedom, a large immigration began from these former colonies with many from South Asia making a new home in the cities and towns of Britain. Today there are roughly 2.4 million Muslims living in Britain. They come from all over the world and include second and third generation immigrants as well as converts from the white British population.

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Cultural Misunderstandings

Events of recent years have made it difficult for many Christians to build relationships with Muslims in their neighbourhoods. Cultural misunderstandings and the isolation of Muslim communities have made it challenging for many British Christians to know where to begin in making friends with Muslims. There are those on both sides who are addressing the fears and creating platforms where relationships can develop in shared schoolyards, workplaces and neighbourhoods.

Prayer Starters:

• Pray against the fear which many British people have about Muslim culture.
• Pray for genuine friendships to develop across the cultural barriers and for real love to characterise the relationships between Muslim and Christian.
• Pray that the church would be a hospitable place for new Muslim immigrants and other alienated Muslims, and that programs to assist them would demonstrate the love of Christ.
• Pray that ongoing dialogue between Christian and Muslim leaders in this nation would be fruitful.

British Muslims -Ethnic Categories Census 2001

69% of UK Muslims are from the Indian Sub-continent. There are also significant numbers from other parts of the world (31%). The Census ethnic category 'Black' (6%) applies to 'Black Carib-bean, Black African, Other Black'. A new census will be taken soon. It is certain that the South Asian percentages will continue to be very high.

Video: Here Comes the Mega-Mosque - CBN.com (8:53)

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Cultural Dislocation

The reasons for the large proportion of Mirpuris in the UK is historical. In the late 1950’s & early 1960’s, the Pakistani Government planned the Mangla Dam, which was to be built in the Mirpur area. They asked several thousand locals to leave the land. At that time, the British needed man-power mainly for their textile factories. Many of the Mirpuris moved to Britain and started working in factories, mostly in the so called “black country” and the area of Bradford, England. In some villages, more than half the village population moved to the UK to settle in the industrial towns. This rural, impoverished district provided cheap, unskilled labour for Britain in the 60’s and 70’s.

Most immigrants were from subsistence farming communities and had had little or no schooling. They made a huge cultural and geographical leap to settle in the UK. The profound cultural dislocation experienced by the Mirpuris is hard to imagine. Most Mirpuris speak Pothowari, a language related to Punjabi. The prominent clans among them include Rajputs (Janjua), Sudhans, Khokhars, Gakkhars, Awans, Jats, etc.

Imported Marginalisation

One of the things they brought with them was the perception of a long history of dispossession and marginalisation. The partition of India brought terrible bloodshed along with the division of Kashmir between Pakistan and India. (This was the issue cited until very recently as the most pressing political priority in the UK by the majority of British Muslims). Three of the suicide bombers of the London underground bombings in the summer of 2005 were originally from this region of Pakistan.

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The Mirpuris are still a very unreached people group. There are only a handful of known believers among them in Britain. Some of them have experienced much persecution and suffering. The home of one believing family was even set on fire fairly recently.

Please Pray:

* Pray that more British Christians would see the need to reach out to the Mirpuris, and that many more would get involved in praying for them. Pray also that Christian workers from around the world would be willing to come and minister among them.

* Pray for the few cross-cultural workers that are ministering among them, that they would have wisdom to know how to effectively reach them. And, that they would see a spiritual breakthrough among them soon.

* Pray for the few Mirpuri believers, that they would be protected, and that they would be able and willing to share the Gospel with their family and friends with cultural sensitivity and insight. Pray also for the establishment of fellowships of Mirpuri Muslim background believers.

Video: Homeless Portraits

Homeless Portraits from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

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"Munir" owns a small grocer's shop in the South-side of Glasgow. He opens at six in the morning and closes at eight in the evening, seven days a week. On Sundays his son takes over the shop so he can run a leather goods stall in a market out of town. He often feels tires but it is difficult for him to take a holiday. His business supports not only his immediate family but also his extended family in Pakistan. He aspires some day to moving out to a nice house in the suburbs believing that material success is a symbol of favour in God towards him.

Kauser of Glasgow, Scotland

"Kauser" was born and brought up in Glasgow. Her family arrived in the city shortly before she was born. She was married to her cousin from the family's village in Pakistan. It was very difficult at first because her husband's expectations of marriage were very different from hers and they had three children in quick succession. It's better now as her husband has a full-time job and two of the children are at school. Kauser dreams of a time when she might be able to finish her education and have a career of her own. When times were bad she often wondered if God might be punishing her.

Community of Glasgow, Scotland

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Prayer Guide for Glasgow, Scotland

* Pray that the openness among the settled Muslim communities might similar to the refugee communities.

* Pray for Christians with Muslim neighbours to be open to building positive and trusting relationships.

* Give thanks for those already involved in outreach and pray that new creative ways of reaching out to be developed.

* Give thanks for those in the refugee communities who have come to faith (many through dreams and visions).

Video: A Way of Life

Five Faiths: Protestants HD from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

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