Hinduism in the United Kingdom

British Hindus

The British Hindu population includes those who came directly from the Indian sub-continent, descendants of those Hindus who had originally migrated to other countries but later resettled in the United Kingdom, and those born and raised in the UK. It is not unusual to find third or fourth generation Hindus in the UK.

There have been three main waves of migration of Hindus in the UK, and most of the Hindu migration has occurred after World War II. The first wave was at the time of British India's independence and partition in 1947. Also, in the early 1960s the Conservative Health Minister the Rt Hon Enoch Powell recruited a large number of doctors from the Indian sub-continent. The second wave occurred in the 1970s mainly from East Africa especially due to Expulsion of Asians from Uganda. Later, communities included those from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius and Fiji. The last wave of migration began in the 1990s and is a result of the United Kingdom's immigration policy, which made studying and immigration to the UK easier. This wave also included Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and professionals including doctors and software engineers from India.

In terms of relative numbers of South Asian descendants in England and Wales, Hindu population of 806,000 is the second largest group, after 1,628,000 South Asian Muslims according to the 2011 census. This reflects a growth over the 1991 census, when its Hindu population was 397,000 compared to 703,000 South Asian Muslims and 206,000 South Asian Sikhs in the England and Wales.

According to the 2011 census, nearly half of the 817,000 Hindus living in the UK were residents of the London metropolitan area. About 300,000 British Hindus of all ages were born in the UK.

The Hindu population in the UK is predominantly urban, and has relatively higher representation in the professional and managerial positions. Hindu men are more likely than general population to be entrepreneurs, and both Hindu men and women are more likely than general population to have higher education. According to United Kingdom's Office of National Statistics, of all ethnic minorities in Britain, the British Hindus had the highest rate of economic activity in 2011, and a median net wealth of GB£206,000 in 2006 (compared to median net wealth of GB£223,000 for British Christians). Over a 20-year period, British Hindus also had the third lowest poverty level (after British Christian and British Jews), and the second lowest rates of arrest, trial or imprisonment at 0.5% (after British Jews' 0.3%) among all ethnic groups tracked by UK's Ministry of Justice.

Temples and Organisations

A University of Derby report states that there are considerable linguistic and theosophical diversities among Hindus in the United Kingdom, yet they also share certain core beliefs, rites and festivals of Hinduism. The National Council of Hindu Temples and the Hindu Council of the UK are among national umbrella organisations for Hindus in the UK. There are regional organizations that organize community events and social affairs in the UK, such as The Hindu Council of Birmingham.

UK-wide Hindu organisations include the National Council of Hindu Temples UK which is the oldest UK-wide Hindu organisation. It comprises over 300 Hindu Temples and Hindu Faith Organisations. The Hindu Council UK representing almost 400 affiliated cultural and religious organisations of various Hindu denominations including temples, and The Hindu Forum of Britain, with nearly 300 member organisations.

There were over 150 Hindu Temples in the UK in 2012 with 30 Temples in the London area alone. Slough Hindu Temple was built by the Slough Hindu Cultural Society - formally opened in 1981 - it was the first purpose-built Hindu Temple in the British Isles. However, the first Hindu Temple in the UK was opened in the late 1920s near Earls Court in London and it was functional for about four years.

There is a diversity of Hindu-based organisations in the UK including the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Swaminarayan (BAPS) in Neasden (Greater London), the Chinmaya Mission, Ramakrishna Mission and Sai Organisation, each having large followings. SHYAM, an educational Hindu organisation teaches the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Shrimad Bhagavad, Vedas and Upanishads. The predominant Hindu beliefs found in the UK include its Vedanta monist, Vedanta monotheistic and various sampradayas. Less of 1% of the Hindus in the UK identify themselves to be belonging to Brahma Kumaris, Divine Life Society, Hare Krishna and other organizations.

Festivals and community events

Hindus in the United Kingdom celebrate major festivals such as Diwali. Homes and businesses are decorated with festive lights and Hindus gift sweets such as laddoo and barfi. Community events such as dances and parties bring Hindus and non-Hindus together. Leicester annually plays hosts to one of the biggest Diwali celebrations outside of India.

The Hindu festival of Diwali has begun to find acceptance into the larger British community. Prince Charles has attended Diwali celebrations at some of UK’s prominent Hindu temples, such as the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden. In 2013, Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife joined thousands at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden to celebrate Diwali and the Annakut festival marking the Hindu New Year. Since 2009, Diwali has been celebrated every year at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister.

Conversion to Hinduism

Discrimination and stereotyping of Hindus in the UK

A report authored by Robert Berkeley of Runnymede Trust states that the Hindu community groups and organizations in the United Kingdom face systematic disadvantage and discrimination. They face a legacy of inequality, targeting and stereotyping in daily life and by the media, which has left the Hindu community isolated, with a limited capacity to engage with other communities, or address the problems they face.

Scholars state that the Hindu community in the United Kingdom, and Europe in general, has faced discrimination in immigration policies adopted by the local governments. In local councils, construction or expansion permits for Hindu temples and community centers have been turned down for years, while Muslim mosques and Christian churches have been approved by the same councils and built. The discrimination suffered by Hindu communities from the local council officials in Britain has been described by Paul Weller as follows,

Nearly 50% of Hindu children, both boys and girls, in British schools have reported to being victims of bullying for being Hindu and their religious heritage. However, Claire Monks et al. note that children of various races and religions report being victims of bullying in British schools as well.

The Hindu community in the United Kingdom is not unique in suffering discrimination and stereotyping. The similarly small Jewish community of the United Kingdom, and in recent years the much larger Muslim community of the United Kingdom, has also expressed similar concerns. New legislation and institutions to understand and respond to religious discrimination are being debated by British politicians.

Private golfing, country clubs and other social clubs in Britain have routinely discriminated against and denied entry to Hindus – in addition to Sikhs, Muslims, women, Africans and other minorities after asserting "freedom of association" principle, and parts of EU-wide law to limit this practice were adopted in the United Kingdom in 1998. In some instances of Islamist terrorism, such as after the 7 July 2005 London bombings, Hindus along with Sikhs of the United Kingdom became more targeted and vulnerable for backlash than Muslims.