Muslim households suffer overcrowding

More than 40 per cent of children in Muslim households in England
and Wales live in overcrowded conditions, a study by the Oxford
Centre for Islamic Studies has found.

The study, which drew on data from the 2001 national census, found
42 per cent of Muslim children lived in overcrowded conditions,
compared with 12 per cent of the general population.

The situation is worse in Bangladeshi communities (nearly 56 per
cent). More than a third of Muslim children also live in households
with no adults in work.

The study, published by the Housing Corporation, calls for meeting
the needs of minority faith groups to be a criterion for awarding
beacon status to councils.

l Muslim Housing Experiences from www.housingcorp.gov.uk