Multiplying Muslims: Europe Won’t Be Spared Islamic Demographic Onslaught

The number of Muslims continues to increase all over the world; they are now the world's fastest-growing religious group, including in Finland, according to a new demographic survey released by the Pew Research Center, a US think tank.

The study found that Muslims will make up at least 10 percent Europe's population by 2050, and will account for 3.4 percent of the population in Finland. The number of Christians will plummet, but they are likely to remain the largest religious group in Europe and Finland in the future.

According to the study, the world's Christian population will increase from 2.17 billion to 2.92 between 2010 and 2050, whereas the number of Muslims will grow from 1.6 billion to 2.76 billion within the same period.

As for Finland, the Muslim population there is expected to increase by 3.4 percent to at least 190,000 people by 2050.

In the rest of Europe, Muslims will make up 10 percent of the population in 2050, compared with 5.9 percent in 2010.

The survey mentioned that the Muslim population was growing faster than the global average, something that is taking place due to larger family sizes, rather than conversion. Between 2010 and 2050, the world’s total population is estimated to increase by 35 percent, while the Muslim population is expected to surge 73 percent.

In February, Finland beefed up security around synagogues and other places considered likely terrorist attack targets.

The country's national police commissioner, Mikko Paatero, warned that there is a threat that the Islamist attacks which took place in France and Denmark earlier this year could repeat themselves in Finland.