Ministers have been urged to investigate the rise in the number of white Muslim prisoners amid fears of recruitment drives by extremist gangs.
Figures from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) show that one in five Muslims in prisons in England and Wales are white, compared to just 5.8 percent in the general population.
Concerns have been repeatedly raised about the power wielded by violent Islamist gangs in prisons, and the role they play in encouraging or coercing conversions.
The figures were revealed by Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, who called for an investigation into the matter.
“The percentage of white Muslims in our prisons is so much higher than the general population that it raises serious questions,” he said.
‘We know that experts have repeatedly warned of forced conversions behind bars, driven by Islamist gangs.
‘We have to be honest that something is not right here – Work must urgently investigate and eradicate forced conversions in prison.”
Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent assessor of terrorism legislation, warned of forced Islamic conversions in his 2022 report on terrorism in prisons.
He described Islamist terrorists acting as “self-appointed emirs,” controlling prisoners through “leadership and recruitment.”
This included recruiting “vulnerable or lonely prisoners, using counselling, sharing food or material gifts” and “conversion supported by implied or actual violence”, Mr Hall said.
He cited the case of London Bridge attacker Usman Khan, who ‘encouraged other prisoners to adopt Muslim names [and] wear Muslim clothes’ while they ‘try to convert prisoners’.
A lawyer who regularly visits maximum security prisons to meet prisoners told the Mail last year that prisoners often converted to Islam for their own protection.
“This is something that will happen hours after arriving on a wing. Once they arrive in prison, they are incorporated into the gang hierarchy. In some cases, entire floors are dominated by Muslim gangs,” he said.
The phenomenon has also been documented by Ian Acheson, who conducted a study on Islamist extremism in prisons.
He has described how the power of Muslim gangs in some prisons prompted prisoners to convert for their own protection.
A 2023 government-commissioned study found that gangs in some prisons ordered prisoners to become Muslim or face violence.
Colin Bloom, the report’s author, said: ‘Failure to identify as Muslim meant that at best the new prisoner would be denied ‘protection’ by the dominant Muslim gang on that wing, or at worst the new prisoner would be subjected to violence and intimidation by that same gang.”
There are also reports of prisoners becoming so-called ‘convenience Muslims’ and converting to Islam for perceived benefits, such as more time out of their cells for meetings and prayers, and receiving higher quality supposedly halal food.
London Bridge striker Usman Khan ‘encouraged other prisoners to adopt Muslim names [and] wearing Muslim clothes’ while ‘trying to convert prisoners’
The MOJ has previously claimed that attributing a rise in the number of white Muslim prisoners to Muslim gangs would be ‘based on entirely anecdotal evidence’. It emphasizes that faith-based coercion “will not be tolerated.”
The latest MOJ figures show that there are more Muslim chaplains in prisons in England and Wales than there are Anglican chaplains or Church of England chaplains.
There are now 140 Muslim chaplains in prisons, up from 128 in 2023-24, versus 87 for the Church of England, up from 97 in 2024-25.
There are a further 94 Catholic chaplains, 64 from free churches and 23 described exclusively as ‘Christian’.
The number of white Muslim prisoners in England and Wales has risen from 2,767 in 2022 to 3,218 as of June 30, 2025 – an increase of 16 percent.
The total number of Muslim prisoners increased by 14 percent, from 14,037 in 2022 to 16,051 on June 30, 2025.
An MOJ spokesperson said: “We will not tolerate intimidation, gang activity or faith-based coercion of any kind in our prisons.
‘Prisons and staff act quickly to quell any threatening behavior from groups or individuals.’
