Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs
This chapter explores religious diversity in London. Because of the variety of ethnic groups living in London by the beginning of the twenty-first century it would seem undeniable that religious diversity increased in London after 1945. However, as this chapter shows, religious diversity in London can be traced even further back — to the Middle Ages. Indeed, religious diversity has characterized the evolution of London since the Reformation as Protestant refugees from the continent moved to the British capital to escape persecution and established their own churches, followed from the seventeenth century by the first of many streams of Jews who constructed their own sacred spaces. The Irish and other Europeans did the same from the nineteenth century while the period since the end of the Second World War has seen the emergence of numerous mosques, some of them with origins in the earlier twentieth century. In London, the place of worship usually forms part of a wider welfare and educational network which attempts to reconnect with believers from the homeland.