Muhammad is No 2 in boy's names

[Yasir]

Muhammad is No 2 in boy's names
Helen Nugent and Nadia Menuhin
June 6, 2007

Muhammad is now second only to Jack as the most popular name for baby boys in Britain and is likely to rise to No 1 by next year, a study by The Times has found. The name, if all 14 different spellings are included, was shared by 5,991 newborn boys last year, beating Thomas into third place, followed by Joshua and Oliver.

Scholars said that the name’s rise up the league table was driven partly by the growing number of young Muslims having families, coupled with the desire to name their child in honour of the Prophet.

Muhammad Anwar, Professor of Ethnic Relations at Warwick University, said: “Muslim parents like to have something that shows a link with their religion or with the Prophet.”

Although the official names register places the spelling Mohammed at No 23, an analysis of the top 3,000 names provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) puts Muhammad at No 2 once the 14 spellings are taken into account. If its popularity continues – it rose by 12 per cent last year – the name will take the top spot by the end of this year. It first entered the Top 30 in 2000.

The spelling Muhammad, like all transliterations, comes from replacing the Arabic script with what is deemed its closest Latin equivalent. There are many versions in Britain, depending on where the family are from and variations in pronounciation.

Muhammad, which means “one who is praiseworthy”, is often given to boys as an honorary prefix and is followed by the name by which they are commonly known. It is regularly cited as the most common name in the world, though there is no concrete evidence.

Mufti Abdul Barkatullah, a former imam at the Finchley mosque in northwest London, said: “Parents who name their son Muhammad believe that the name has an effect on their personality and future characteristics. They are saying that this boy will be of good character.

“Some people may not really understand the history of the Prophet Muhammad and the name but they still want the association so they can be recognised as one of his followers.

“In Arab countries, the name Muhammad is said when you don’t know the name of someone. On the sub-continent, it is different: Muhammad can be used either before or after another name.

“When you get to the UK, it is essentially about translating the sound of the Arabic into English. A nonArab Muslim would have the name ending in -ed while an Arab Muslim would adopt the -ad ending.”

Overall, Muslims account for 3 per cent of the British population, about 1.5 million people. However, the Muslim birthrate is roughly three times higher than the nonMuslim one.

Statistics from the ONS show that Muslim households are larger than those headed by someone of another religion. In 2001, the average size of a Muslim household was 3.8 people while a third contained more than five people.

According to data from CACI Information Solutions, men who are named Muhammad are 5½ times more likely to go on holiday in Asia and twice as likely to live in Yorkshire than most other people.

Additionally, a man named Muhammad is most likely to be aged between 25 and 34 and to have an average salary of £25,000.

The leading name for girls born to Muslim parents in 2006 was Aisha, in 110th place. Its meaning is “wife of the Prophet” or “life”.

How do you spell that?

The different spellings of Muhammad in 2006 and the number of occurrences

Mohammed 2,833
Muhammad 1,422
Mohammad 920
Muhammed 358
Mohamed 354
Mohamad 29
Mahammed 18
Mohammod 13
Mahamed 12
Muhammod 9
Muhamad 7
Mohmmed 6
Mohamud 5
Mohammud 5

— Scholars and imams differ on why there are so many variants of the name

— Some say it is the result of phonetic translations by Muslims who moved here from abroad. Others say that it is merely down to the personal choice of the parents

The most popular names for baby boys in 2006

1 Jack 6,928, 2 Muhammad (all spellings) 5,991, 3 Thomas 5,921, 4 Joshua 5,808, 5 Oliver 5,208, 6 Harry 5,006, 7 James 4,783, 8 William 4,327, 9 Samuel 4,320, 10 Daniel 4,303, 11 Charlie 4,178, 12 Benjamin 3,778, 13 Joseph 3,755, 14 Callum 3,517, 15 George 3,386, 16 Jake 3,353, 17 Alfie 3,194, 18 Luke 3,108,19 Matthew 3,043, 20 Ethan 3,020

Source: Office for National Statistics/ The Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1890354.ece

[Abuz Zubair]

very interesting!

[waziri]

I think spelling number 2 on the list is the best one

[JayshAllah]

Dude, this is just in the UK! If you look at the whole world, I gaurantee you that "Muhammad" is the MOST popular name by far! I've read it somewhere that this is true. I'm sure someone can look it up. Too lazy.

[Brother_Mujahid]

I heard that Usama is also a popular name around the world, especially in Pakistan and Nigeria.

[morbius]

This again ilustrates all that I've been talking about.
Number of Muslims in Europe is growing too quickly, which will have bad concequences for all.

[Abuz Zubair]

Well, Morbius, by the way things are going, bigots like you should go to Siberia and die.

[morbius]

Really witty responce. Did you think of it yourself or did you have help?

Are you really short-sighted enough not to see that such a rapid increase in number of Muslims in UK and elsewhere in Europe will cause unrest among the natives, causing them to vote for the hard-right political parties? This will not be good for anybody, especially Muslims.

[Abuz Zubair]

You may be right with respect to Serbia, and probably are knowing what they did to ppl of their own skin colour with a different religion in Bosnia.

But you seem to be clueless about the rest of Europe, especially the UK and France.

[Umm]

This again ilustrates all that I've been talking about.
Number of Muslims in Europe is growing too quickly, which will have bad concequences for all.

Poor Morobius.

I actually think the survey was done with people like him in mind. White fright and all that.

How many Muhammads do we know of? Even in an Islamic school, it isn't always the first boys' name on the list. In a class of 30 you might have 3 boys out of 15 called it. It is usually Abdullah. Let alone across the country.

In a survey of 3000 people, that proves what?

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/

It doesn't show you a list of names, so how can we prove the authenticity of this survey?

Among our circle of a good few hundred brothers and sisters with a few kids each, I don't even know of 20 Muhammads.

[morbius]

Yeah, right, Abuz Zubair...
I guess than that it is not true that intolerance towards Muslims is growing in UK and the rest of Europe. I guess those demonstrations against Muslim immigration did not happen in Denmark and France. And I guess they are lying when they are saying that hard right parties are getting more and more support with every passing elections.
And I guess that those Muslim riots in Paris did not happen and all those cars caught fire by themselves. They are actually all living in peace and harmony in France. Thanks for opening my eyes, man.

[Umm]

Also, anyone can play with stats to prove a point.

If I went to the BNP HQ with a survey, then 100% of these white British males want us kicked out. It isn't really accurate to say "In a survey of X men across the country, 100% of white Brit males are racist"

[Abu_Abdallah]

In the Netherlands the name Mohammed is also the most popular name in the second city of that country, Rotterdam. And I've read that it is also a top 5 name in Amsterdam.

So, Mohammed's are popular. Now let us hope Muhammad, peace be upon him, will become popular too - Insha'Allah.

[morbius]

Poor Morobius.

I actually think the survey was done with people like him in mind. White fright and all that.

No, I'm actually a complete pacifist.
However, it is very easy to see where the things are going. In about 30 to 60 years (depending on a country) Asian Muslims are going to become majority in Western Europe. Since nobody likes to become minority in his own country, this will certainly lead to conflict.
The only way to avoid this is slowing down the rise of number of Asian Muslims, thus allowing more time for people to learn to live together.

[Yasir]

In a class of 30 you might have 3 boys out of 15 called it.What do you mean?In a survey of 3000 people, that proves what?It is not a survey of 3,000 people.
From the top 3,000 boy's names in Britain, The Times collated all the different spellings for the name 'Muhammad' and concluded that in actual fact it is the second most popular name for boys in Britain.

[Umm]

What do you mean?
In a class of 30 (say 15 girls and 15 boys) you won't find like 10 Muhammads. And this is a practicing school where religious parents will chose a good name.


It is not a survey of 3,000 people.
From the top 3,000 boy's names in Britain, The Times collated all the different spellings for the name 'Muhammad' and concluded that in actual fact it is the second most popular name for boys in Britain.

And if the Times says so, that makes it true? The stats site doesn't show the 3000 names on there, so how can you prove it is correct? If it was the 2nd most popular name in the UK, surely us who are in mainly Muslim circles should be overflowing with Muhammads, right? Yet that isn't the case.

I don't ususally go for conspiracy theories, but I think there is a bit more to it. I think, and it is just a thought, that the article has been written to show "They are taking over the country"

I could be completely wrong.

However, the Muslim birthrate is roughly three times higher than the nonMuslim one.
But not every Muslim family reproduces at 3x the speed of a kaafir.

[Yasir]

And if the Times says so, that makes it true?It makes it no less truthful than your saying it.The stats site doesn't show the 3000 names on there, so how can you prove it is correct?I'm sure if you're really interesting in proving the accuracy of the claim (or indeed to expose its inaccuracies), you can go ahead and contact the ONS and The Times and thereafter gather, analyse and decipher their statistics. But if you're having difficulties understanding simple statistical analysis such as not being able to differentiate between "a survey of 3,000 people" and an analysis of "the top 3,000 boy's names", somehow I guess you'll not go for that option.If it was the 2nd most popular name in the UK, surely us who are in mainly Muslim circles should be overflowing with Muhammads, right?Many Muslim children have the name Muhammad. Even those that don't use it as their first given name (or regular name), have it as their middle name and it is something recorded on official documentation.I think, and it is just a thought, that the article has been written to show "They are taking over the country".I don't think the article is suggesting that the Muslims are 'taking over the country'.
Official Statistics are not needed to support a bigot's outlook.But not every Muslim family reproduces at 3x the speed of a kaafir.Maybe not every family, but they often have many more children than their non-Muslim neighbours.

[juwairiyah]

Assalamo'alaykum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh

So we ve to argue here too??. what matters is whether we r on the path of muhammed s.a.w or not

[morbius]

Maybe not every family, but they often have many more children than their non-Muslim neighbours.

Nowhere was this more obvious than on Kosovo. Although Serbs there had very high birth rate (3.5 children per couple) Albanians there had birth rate that was off the charts. Although official statistics were never made, number of children per Albanian family was estimated to be between 8.9 and 9.7!
Census from 1948. showed about 54,000 Albanians living in Kosovo. Today there are well over 2 millions of them.
What happened in Kosovo is a warning to what might happen in all Europe. If we are to live in peace, it is simply neccesary for number of Muslims not to grow too rapidly, allowing people to adopt to the enviroment.

[mm12]

Nowhere was this more obvious than on Kosovo. Although Serbs there had very high birth rate (3.5 children per couple) Albanians there had birth rate that was off the charts. Although official statistics were never made, number of children per Albanian family was estimated to be between 8.9 and 9.7!
Census from 1948. showed about 54,000 Albanians living in Kosovo. Today there are well over 2 millions of them.
What happened in Kosovo is a warning to what might happen in all Europe. If we are to live in peace, it is simply neccesary for number of Muslims not to grow too rapidly, allowing people to adopt to the enviroment.

So basically the government should neuter Muslims, to stop the vermin from growing too quickly.

[Abuz Zubair]

Assalamo'alaykum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh

So we ve to argue here too??. what matters is whether we r on the path of muhammed s.a.w or not
erm....

this is a discussion between a racist non-Muslim and the rest. It cannot be demanded of him that he should follow the Prophet.

They are discussing a very European issue.

[Umm]

I'm sure if you're really interesting in proving the accuracy of the claim (or indeed to expose its inaccuracies), you can go ahead and contact the ONS and The Times and thereafter gather, analyse and decipher their statistics. But if you're having difficulties understanding simple statistical analysis such as not being able to differentiate between "a survey of 3,000 people" and an analysis of "the top 3,000 boy's names", somehow I guess you'll not go for that option.


I Mistakenly wrote that. Yes, I can understand basic statistics, thank you.


According to data from CACI Information Solutions, men who are named Muhammad are 5½ times more likely to go on holiday in Asia and twice as likely to live in Yorkshire than most other people.


Oh, and I suppose Muhammad Siddique Khan doesn't fit into this?

DO you agree someone called Muhammad is 2x as likely to live in Yorkshire?

[Umm]

Many Muslim children have the name Muhammad. Even those that don't use it as their first given name (or regular name), have it as their middle name and it is something recorded on official documentation.

But that isn't a first name or surname which, if you bothered to check, the site in question deals with.

I don't think the article is suggesting that the Muslims are 'taking over the country'.
Official Statistics are not needed to support a bigot's outlook.

Propoganda is often subtle. Official statistics, fake or otherwise are effective in turning public opinion.

[Yasir]

Oh, and I suppose Muhammad Siddique Khan doesn't fit into this?Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.
Statistics identify common trends and relationships, they don't have to be applicable to every individual within a population.DO you agree someone called Muhammad is 2x as likely to live in Yorkshire?It's possible (though it may be purely coincidental), and depends on the data you have available to analyse.
If you get the data from the ONS, you should be able to investigate using a Chi-square test at a 1% significance level to analyse whether or not there is a relationship between the two. Please do share your findings with us.But that isn't a first name or surname which, if you bothered to check, the site in question deals with.Yes, and how many Muslim children have you come across with their full names in the form: Muhammad X Y? Particularly amongst Asians, I don't know of any that name their sons with a 'Muhammad' and the order of names is X Muhammad Y. The Muhammad is always listed at the beginning, though it may not be the regular name used.

[justabro]

Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.
Statistics identify common trends and relationships, they don't have to be applicable to every individual within a population.It's possible (though it may be purely coincidental), and depends on the data you have available to analyse.
If you get the data from the ONS, you should be able to investigate using a Chi-square test at a 1% significance level to analayse whether or not there is a relationship between the two. Please do share your findings with us.Yes, and how many Muslim children have you come across with their full names in the form: Muhammad X Y? Particularly amongst Asians, I don't know of any that name their sons with a 'Muhammad' and the order of names is X Muhammad Y. The Muhammad is always listed at the beginning, though it may not be the regular name used.

This is very common... You may even find multiple children having a Muhammad in their name... I have an aunt with three sons... I remember her once telling me that she wished she had Muhammad in front of all their names so that they would be: Muhammad Umar, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Amir, and in fact she would even occasionally call them "Muhammad Umar!"

[SAINT GEORGE OF ARABIA]

i shouldn't even get excited
may be the only mohammed who will try to live up to theirs name will be just 2 out of 3000.
some from shia parents, sufi, democrate, tablighi, saudi salafi,hizbu tahrir, qadyani, ahmadiyya,you name it we will have mohammed the grave worshippers
even mohammed the rude boy...........mohammed the deviant
there you go! we will be lucky to get 3 out of 3000 mohammed from the real ahl-us-sunnah wa jamaa

[Intoodeep]

Morbious,

This is an age old lie. One of the reasons why europe was able to subdue others was because of their high population densities, yet they moan about muslim growth rates when our countries have nowhere near the population density of the western world. At the same time the west still encourages the population to reproduce in its own lands yet calls for population control in the deveoping world.

Muslims should reproduce and strive to convert large numbers of the native populations for a number of reasons the least being for their own survival.

[morbius]

So basically the government should neuter Muslims, to stop the vermin from growing too quickly.

:) :)
Of course not.
It would be enough simply to cut down on allowing new Muslim immigrants to enter.

Global baby boom that happened in the second half of 20th century is actually dying down. Even the countries with the highest birth rate, such as Mexico or Nigeria, are now significantly improving when it comes to family planing.

With time, new generations of Muslims in Europe will choose to have less children which they would be able to provide with more things, rather than having more children in poverty.

It is estimated that ideal number of people on Earth is 2.5 billion. We already have over 6 billion and growing.

[morbius]

Morbious,

This is an age old lie. One of the reasons why europe was able to subdue others was because of their high population densities, yet they moan about muslim growth rates when our countries have nowhere near the population density of the western world. At the same time the west still encourages the population to reproduce in its own lands yet calls for population control in the deveoping world.

Muslims should reproduce and strive to convert large numbers of the native populations for a number of reasons the least being for their own survival.

You can't expect one Saudi Arabia, Algeria or Yemen to have the same population density as France or Germany. Most of teritory of those countries is desert. In order to have high population density you also need a lot of farm land.

Feel free to reproduce all you want, but only if you are able to provide your children with food, clothes, education and later jobs in your own lands. Making them and then flooding Europe with them because they can not have a decent life in their own land is truely a crime.

[mm12]

:) :)
Of course not.
It would be enough simply to cut down on allowing new Muslim immigrants to enter.

Global baby boom that happened in the second half of 20th century is actually dying down. Even the countries with the highest birth rate, such as Mexico or Nigeria, are now significantly improving when it comes to family planing.

With time, new generations of Muslims in Europe will choose to have less children which they would be able to provide with more things, rather than having more children in poverty.

It is estimated that ideal number of people on Earth is 2.5 billion. We already have over 6 billion and growing.


I suddenly have the urge to have lots of kids.

[Umm Ahmed]

Each child comes with its own provision Morbius , its goverments and the world banks that cause hunger.

[morbius]

Each child comes with its own provision Morbius , its goverments and the world banks that cause hunger.

Yeah, right!
I guess there was no such thing as hunger before there were modern-type governments and world banks.

The maximum number of people that Earth can feed is about 8.5 billion. Any more than that means that someone simply has to starve.

[Umm Ahmed]

Yeah, right!
I guess there was no such thing as hunger before there were modern-type governments and world banks.

The maximum number of people that Earth can feed is about 8.5 billion. Any more than that means that someone simply has to starve.

There are diseases and wars that naturally decrease the population , it all balances itself out.
Some statistic guessed in someones office using a calculator just doesn't cut it.

[justabro]

Yeah, right!
I guess there was no such thing as hunger before there were modern-type governments and world banks.

The maximum number of people that Earth can feed is about 8.5 billion. Any more than that means that someone simply has to starve.

Most 3rd world countries were much more comfortable until the last 50 yrs or so when their governments started being bought out by the West to be raped for Western consumption.

The move now to mix things like ethanol in gasoline does not bode well for those countries as in some places it will mean that their cown which would be used for feeding the poor will now be feeding America's hunger for Hummer's:

http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/cooke/2007/0202.html

[morbius]

There are diseases and wars that naturally decrease the population , it all balances itself out.

Most deseases that used to decimate the population are today almost eradicated and exist only in very poor places on globe. Advances in medicine is what made global baby boom happen in the first place. Simple antibiotics and vaccines kept alive millions of children who would otherwise die before reaching adolthood and having chance to reproduce.

Which leaves wars. I know that some of you are thinking: "Let's have a lot of children to win Jihad tommorow". Frankly, this makes me sick to my stomach. Children deserve a chance to live free in a better world, instead of being bread for slaughter and serving as canon fodder for an intolerant religion.


Some statistic guessed in someones office using a calculator just doesn't cut it.
No matter how you calculate it, you simply can't feed infinite number of people with limited amount of food.

[morbius]

Most 3rd world countries were much more comfortable until the last 50 yrs or so when their governments started being bought out by the West to be raped for Western consumption.

And you are absolutely right.

However, it does not change the simple truth of what I wanted to say - there are physical limitations to how much the planet is able to feed. Having a lot of children simply can not go on forever.

[Umm]

I suddenly have the urge to have lots of kids.

Were you one of the racists who posted in the comments (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1890354.ece#) of the Times article?

Brother Yasir, you said regarding Muhammad Siddique Khan
Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.
Statistics identify common trends and relationships, they don't have to be applicable to every individual within a population.

Due to the current climate, isn't he a significant statistic to try and generalise?

"It's possible (though it may be purely coincidental), and depends on the data you have available to analyse."

And that is my point. We don't know where these figures have come from

"If you get the data from the ONS, you should be able to investigate using a Chi-square test at a 1% significance level to analayse whether or not there is a relationship between the two. Please do share your findings with us."

How beneficial are your usual sarcastic "do tell us, do let us know" signature postings, which you have hurled at many members of this board?

I am not qualified to analytically assess their findings, but nor do I pretend otherwise. Perhaps you might do the honours as you are obviously grounded in the field of stats, and I am not? A chi-square test sounded like a martial arts test to me.

"Even those that don't use it as their first given name (or regular name), have it as their middle name and it is something recorded on official documentation.
The Muhammad is always listed at the beginning, though it may not be the regular name used."

That is true, but you said "middle names". You should have been clear and said that Muhammad is the 1st name ,but the middle name is used commonly as if it is the first name, e.g. Muhammad Arshad Khan will be known as Arshad Khan.

Official Statistics are not needed to support a bigot's outlook.

What about those who are fringe bigots and persuaded by statistics? Look at the comments on that article. Even some of the non-Muslims have understood it to be scare-mongering.

[mm12]

Were you one of the racists who posted in the comments (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1890354.ece#) of the Times article?


Uh, what? :confused:

[Umm Ahmed]

Most deseases that used to decimate the population are today almost eradicated and exist only in very poor places on globe. Advances in medicine is what made global baby boom happen in the first place. Simple antibiotics and vaccines kept alive millions of children who would otherwise die before reaching adolthood and having chance to reproduce.

SubhaanAllaah even in secular knowledge you just churn out what ever comes across your mind , visit your local hospital or cemetry, cancer , heart disease , aids is wiping out huge parts of the poulation in africa , diseases related to smoking and alcohol consuption .

Which leaves wars. I know that some of you are thinking: "Let's have a lot of children to win Jihad tommorow". Frankly, this makes me sick to my stomach. Children deserve a chance to live free in a better world, instead of being bread for slaughter and serving as canon fodder for an intolerant religion.
Your sick in the mind , and the most intolerant person I have ever come across.

[alkathiri]

Which leaves wars. I know that some of you are thinking: "Let's have a lot of children to win Jihad tommorow". Frankly, this makes me sick to my stomach. Children deserve a chance to live free in a better world, instead of being bread for slaughter and serving as canon fodder for an intolerant religion.


.

You are in need of help . Go to the doctor and get some medicine.
U make me sick ...

[Umm]

Uh, what? :confused:

Sorry brother/sister.
It was said in jest, as this is what some of the islamophobic racists said in the comments.

"Can I just point those with their heads in the sand to the reference in the article about Muslim birthrate outstripping non-Muslim birthrate by 3 to 1 in the UK??!!! Do the simple maths please and then decide who is trying to kid who! There is no scaremongering or racism going on - it is a fact! The simplest way to preserve the culture and indentity of the UK is for the non-Muslim birthrate to increase and at least maintain the status quo. We need to get having more babies. Left leaning, pinko liberals please respond............

Nick, Bradford, UK"



If I knew you were a sister I would have added a smiley to show I was joking, but your username is neutral.
I guess I should have written and

It just amuses me that the west thinks is Islam is a threat because of our numbers.

[Umm]

A valid observation regarding the stats from the comments :
"Again manipulated statistic to shock. What would happen if you added together all the variants of Thomas i.e. include Thom, Tomas, Tom, Tommy etc. Where would that total be ranked - you would only need 71 (only 0.013% of) children to have such a variant to displace Mohammed. In the official list of names the most popular spelling of Mohammed is ranked 22nd. Only 1% of the children born in a year need to have the same name for it to be in the top 3 names. If your going to change the rules on how you count a name you must do it for all in order to give a true picture."

[Yasir]

We don't know where these figures have come from.And that’s why I suggested that the data be sought from the relevant agencies and analysed independently.How beneficial are your usual sarcastic "do tell us, do let us know" signature postings, which you have hurled at many members of this board? I am not qualified to analytically assess their findings, but nor do I pretend otherwise. Perhaps you might do the honours as you are obviously grounded in the field of stats, and I am not?I don’t know what you found so offensive by my saying that, but is there anything wrong with it? You’re questioning the accuracy of a piece, why not be pro-active for once, and actually actively seek to get a clearer picture of the issue? It doesn’t require much effort to sit back and cast doubt upon something, yet why not do a little work, show the inaccuracies you discover, and thereby question any deliberately false conclusions presented in the media? That will not only make your claims credible, but also illustrate that you’re prepared to look into things thoroughly.What about those who are fringe bigots and persuaded by statistics?7The number of people that used the fictional relationship between Iraq and WMDs to support the war, once they realised there were no WMDs, were they all repentant over their support for the war?

[morbius]

SubhaanAllaah even in secular knowledge you just churn out what ever comes across your mind , visit your local hospital or cemetry, cancer , heart disease , aids is wiping out huge parts of the poulation in africa , diseases related to smoking and alcohol consuption .

You obviously have lost touch with reality and have no clue about what's going on in the world. How about you read a little statistics and forecasts:
http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/LUC/Papers/gkh1/chap1.htm

Pay close attention to this part:
Despite a projected increase in mortality due to AIDS, we cannot expect a significant slowing down of population growth in Africa. This continent will contribute 1.3 billion people to the world population between 1995 and the middle of the next century - almost twice as much as its current total population. Fertility is still so high in Sub-Saharan Africa that it can offset the effect of rising mortality. With an increase of 734 million over the next 30 years Africa's population will more than double.
So, in what Africa will AIDS, smoking and drinking stop the explosive growth of population? Some imaginary Africa in your head maybe, but reality is different. Is it that hard for you to understand that having lots of children leads to over-population? It's like not realising that eating too much makes you fat.

Fortunately, most Muslims seem to be smarter than you. It is estimated that birth rate in Pakistan in the next 25 years will drop from current 5.0 children per women to 2.1 children per women. It seems that people are becoming more reasonable and responsible, thank God.

Your sick in the mind , and the most intolerant person I have ever come across.
Moi? You don't get around much, do you?

[Umm Ahmed]

Statistics dont really matter as those statistics would fly out the window at the next drought , as for other muslim women that choose to have tiny families then they are going against what Allaah and his messenger said ( unless there is a harm to health) but your intolerant of what Islaam has to say .

[morbius]

Statistics dont really matter as those statistics would fly out the window at the next drought , as for other muslim women that choose to have tiny families then they are going against what Allaah and his messenger said ( unless there is a harm to health) but your intolerant of what Islaam has to say .

I was writing a very angry responce in which I was calling you a stupid fanatic when I spilled a glass of Coca Cola on my brand new laptop. I reacted very quickly and turned it upside down, but I was sure it was a goner. The fact that it still works is nothing short of a miracle! I will take it as a sign from God not to lose my temper when discusing things here.

But the fact remains, no matter what Quran says it can not be God's desire to make kids just so we can watch them starve to death.

[nomad]

I was writing a very angry responce in which I was calling you a stupid fanatic when I spilled a glass of Coca Cola on my brand new laptop. I reacted very quickly and turned it upside down, but I was sure it was a goner. The fact that it still works is nothing short of a miracle! I will take it as a sign from God not to lose my temper when discusing things here.

But the fact remains, no matter what Quran says it can not be God's desire to make kids just so we can watch them starve to death.
That is really funny,

However you cant possibly think that the world is overcrowded!!! There is tonnes of space left, and food, and water, it just gets unfairly distributed out. The rivers are dried at the source so companies can sell water out of bottles, and rivers are redirected to provide irrigation to crops that wouldnt or shouldnt be grown in such climates, only they are because of high prices paid for the yields. Even in Europe we have our own little battle in Spain over water, and the rich stealing it for gulf courses and cotton crops, forcing the villagers to move to other places.

[juwairiyah]

I was writing a very angry responce in which I was calling you a stupid fanatic when I spilled a glass of Coca Cola on my brand new laptop. I reacted very quickly and turned it upside down, but I was sure it was a goner. The fact that it still works is nothing short of a miracle! I will take it as a sign from God not to lose my temper when discusing things here.

But the fact remains, no matter what Quran says it can not be God's desire to make kids just so we can watch them starve to death.

InshaAllah one day u'll accept the truth too .may Allah bring that day soon ameen

[Umm Ahmed]

I was writing a very angry responce in which I was calling you a stupid fanatic when I spilled a glass of Coca Cola on my brand new laptop. I reacted very quickly and turned it upside down, but I was sure it was a goner. The fact that it still works is nothing short of a miracle! I will take it as a sign from God not to lose my temper when discusing things here.

But the fact remains, no matter what Quran says it can not be God's desire to make kids just so we can watch them starve to death.

oh I am stupid and a fanatic tsk tsk , its amazing your able to type the above . I would have thought the keys would all be sticking with the sugar.

Now go tell your parents that you should not have been born due to you facing starvation.
Islam also has obligatory charity on those who are able to pay , thus solving poverty.

[gag order]

It is estimated that ideal number of people on Earth is 2.5 billion. We already have over 6 billion and growing.

your people did their part to achieve this ideal through ethnic cleansing and concentration camps..

as far as this estimate is concerned all i can say is that you are one load your mother should have swallowed...

:D

[morbius]

That is really funny,

However you cant possibly think that the world is overcrowded!!! There is tonnes of space left, and food, and water, it just gets unfairly distributed out. The rivers are dried at the source so companies can sell water out of bottles, and rivers are redirected to provide irrigation to crops that wouldnt or shouldnt be grown in such climates, only they are because of high prices paid for the yields. Even in Europe we have our own little battle in Spain over water, and the rich stealing it for gulf courses and cotton crops, forcing the villagers to move to other places.

News flash for you - world is overcrowded. Yes, you are absolutely right when you say that a more equal distribution of food and water could help in present situation, but there are simply limits on how much food we can grow.
And to make things worse, we are facing three major problems:
1. Topsoil quality degradation.
2. By the year 2025. we will run out of phosphates, neccesary ingredient for fertilizers.
3. By the year 2045. we will run out of oil, forcing farmers to use a lot more expensive fuels, such as biodiesel.

Trials show that without oil and phosphates yield of corn per acre would drop from present 130 bushels to just 30 bushels. This efectively means that prices of food will skyrocket and if number of people on Earth doesn't stop growing many will starve.

[Intoodeep]

you dont know what future technologies will solve. The problem isnt population it is distribution of resources.

Anyways on a macro level there is nothing that can be done. Muslims by 2025 will number around 25 million in france and 10 million in the UK. Alhamdulillah.

[morbius]

oh I am stupid and a fanatic tsk tsk , its amazing your able to type the above . I would have thought the keys would all be sticking with the sugar.

Keys are easy to clean. I'm much more worried whether the liquid has reached electronics underneath them. I let it dry before turning it on, but I'm still worried about possible concequences.

Islam also has obligatory charity on those who are able to pay , thus solving poverty.
Again, you are confusing things. No charity can fix this problem.
Finite resources can not be streached to infinite number of people. There was only one guy who could make food out of thin air and he's been dead for almost 2000 years.

[Umm Ahmed]

You use your own reckoning to solve problems , that kind of thinking leads to pessimisim and reams and reams of statistics and reports that grow larger and larger.
We have the Quran and sunnah to go by.

[morbius]

you dont know what future technologies will solve. The problem isnt population it is distribution of resources.
When USA was left without rubber due to Japanese conquest during WW2, they invested a lot of money and finaly menaged to create artificial rubber. So, yes technology improvements are not to be underestimated, but in the next 50 years we are going to run out of practicaly every non-reneuvable resource we use! To solve this, we must start being more responsible to the enviroment as well as to the future generations.
Anyways on a macro level there is nothing that can be done. Muslims by 2025 will number around 25 million in france and 10 million in the UK. Alhamdulillah.
Locals will never let Muslims become majority there. I fear there will be violence.

[morbius]

You use your own reckoning to solve problems , that kind of thinking leads to pessimisim and reams and reams of statistics and reports that grow larger and larger.
We have the Quran and sunnah to go by.

In my country we say: "God helps those who help themselves."
And I often say: "Pray to God, but lock your car."

When it is so obvious that we are heading for disaster, shouldn't we do something to help ourselves instead of praying for miracle? When the ship is sinking, do you pray to God to fly you home, or do you run to the life boats?

[Umm Ahmed]

Locals become muslims.

[Umm Ahmed]

In my country we say: "God helps those who help themselves."
And I often say: "Pray to God, but lock your car."

When it is so obvious that we are heading for disaster, shouldn't we do something to help ourselves instead of praying for miracle? When the ship is sinking, do you pray to God to fly you home, or do you run to the life boats?

We have to also make an effort , charity is effort , not allowing non permissible trading , no interest ( so more money) balance in eating and lifestyle .
Stopping having children is not an option for a muslim.

[Umm]

In my country we say: "God helps those who help themselves."
And I often say: "Pray to God, but lock your car."

When it is so obvious that we are heading for disaster, shouldn't we do something to help ourselves instead of praying for miracle? When the ship is sinking, do you pray to God to fly you home, or do you run to the life boats?

Morbius, what you have alluded to is also an Islamic outlook.

You may read this article (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=6092) by a British political prisoner about the importance of action accompanying prayer.

[morbius]

Locals become muslims.

I'm really interested what's the ratio of local Muslims to Asian Muslims in UK? 1:300, 1:500 maybe?

Stopping having children is not an option for a muslim.

Would you make children that you know that you can't feed and that nobody could feed for you?

This might not be a problem right now, but if number of people keeps growing it will inevitably happen.

[Umm Ahmed]

I'm really interested what's the ratio of local Muslims to Asian Muslims in UK? 1:300, 1:500 maybe?



Would you make children that you know that you can't feed and that nobody could feed for you?

This might not be a problem right now, but if number of people keeps growing it will inevitably happen.

Do not kill your children in fear of poverty. It is Us who feed you and the child as well. (Al-An`aam 6: 151)



Contraception is allowed in certain cases , like spacing of two years between childten but never for poverty , and Allaah knows best.

There are much more asian Muslims than reverts , but you should not dismiss the fact that Islaam is the fastest growing religion.

[morbius]

Do not kill your children in fear of poverty. It is Us who feed you and the child as well. (Al-An`aam 6: 151)
We have something very similar in Christianity, because of which some Christian Churches were forbiding contraception and insisted on making lots of children. But recently even the Catholic church changed its doctrines to allow people to have less kids.
Religions must be practical. The ones that aren't do not last long because people will simply not obey something that they clearly see is wrong. People in Latin America have started using condoms despite Church ban and as a result their abnormaly high birth rate is beguining to drop, which will hopefully stabilise their economies and give them higher standard of living. And as numbers show, people of Pakistan are doing the same, no matter what local clergy is saying.

Overpopulation is a serious problem and it will not go away if we simply ignore it. You can't just burry your head in the sand confident that God will pull a miracle and fix everything somehow. We must try to fix the situation ourselves.

[Yasir]

Mohammed: How this popular name tells story of changing nation
By Rebecca Armstrong, James Dean, Julia Stuart, Simon Usborne
Published: 12 June 2007

By next year, it will be officially the most popular name in the land - a measure of how our nation has changed. But what else can Britain's Mohammeds tell us about the way we live now?

Mohamed Asani, 40, Pakistan-born music teacher and celebrated classical sitarist, Leeds

The "Mohamed" in my name is unusual because it is actually my first name - not a prefix, as is the case with many who have the name. Of course, I am aware of the link to the Prophet, but I do not associate my name with religion for this reason - and that surprises some of the people I meet, who expect it to carry a spiritual resonance. As far as I'm concerned, whatever your name might be, it's more about how you look, how you feel and how you treat people. I have no beard and I dress casually. My colleagues in Yorkshire (I'm a visiting lecturer in Indian music and Ensemble technique at the University of Huddersfield and teach sitar at the University of Leeds) will tell you that my outlook is very eclectic.

That said, I do wonder if a name has an inherent destiny - so yes, perhaps being called Mohamed has changed my life. I certainly wouldn't change my name and don't feel uncomfortable with it as some might possibly do. It is a beautiful name and it should be used freely - however it is spelt - and I do not believe those who share my name should be afraid of being different. I don't want the common use of the name to make me like everyone else. I want to be a different type of Mohamed.

Mohammed Avais Bhutta, 26, Software Consultant, London

I went to a community high school where I grew up in Rochdale. In all my new classes when the teacher took the register, they called out, "Mohammed" . I remember sitting there waiting to hear my name and would only realise after a while they meant me. I had to remind them that while Mohammed is on my birth certificate, I've always been called by my middle name - Avais.

Recently, some of my friends started to call me Momo. They meant no harm, but I asked them to stop using it: the name Mohammed is a sign of respect to the Prophet and turning it into a nickname is disrespectful. I might not use the name, but it's part of who I am.

I would have thought the name would have decreased in popularity, with all the negative press Muslims get. I have not been discriminated against, but I know a lot of Muslims who have. Perhaps that, and the increasingly multicultural demographic of Britain, is why Mohammed is becoming common - Muslim parents are trying to hold on to certain traditions.

I'm not sure I'd call my own children Mohammed. I might copy my brother, who has called his son Ayaan Mohammed Bhutta, which keeps the name as a sign of respect but would put an end to all the confusion in the classroom.

Muhammad Anwar, 61, Professor of Ethnic Relations at Warwick University, Warwick

I came to the UK from Pakistan aged 25 to take a PhD at Bradford University and, strange though it may sound to some, my name has always given me strength; a confidence to draw on. I am proud of my name and I like it very much, for a number of reasons. It shows a link with the Prophet and that gives me confidence. My surname, Anwar, means "more light". I think my parents wanted me to play some leading role in this world. Others feel the same about their names and their meanings: the name Rasool means " messenger", for instance.

I feel I've been rewarded for my work in the race relations industry [an OBE in recognition of his contribution to higher education], but my message for many years is that British Asians should broaden their identity and join a more diverse number of professions and not just concentrate on law and medicine. I'm glad that increasing numbers are going into teaching - but would like to see far more doing so.

Mohammed Iqbal, 50, Pharmaceutical Manager, Bradford, West Yorkshire

I was born in the Pakistan side of Kashmir and came here in 1967. We lived in the border area, which was partitioned and it was very unsettling and unsafe. The other reason why we came was for our education. My eldest brother came first, in 1961.

My name means "praiseworthy" and at this stage of my life it's the most wonderful thing to have. But if you had asked me the same question when I was 17, 18 or 19 I wouldn't have said the same thing. I had major difficulties because of the cultural mix and turmoil of growing up in a migrant society. Britain was a very different place in terms of understanding different cultures in the late Sixties and early Seventies. You were picked on because of your name, colour and culture. Now I take great pride in it.

My father changed my name from my original birth name to Mohammed when I was very young. I used to be extremely poorly and the name Mohammed has a lot of blessings associated with it. Mohammed Iqbal is also one of the most famous philosophers and poets of Asia. The name drives the character and personality in our culture. It has been very much a feature of my personality, development, standing and being. I know hundreds of people called Mohammed.

In Western culture a lot of names get shortened. I've resisted that because I value mine so much. My name has shaped my life more than anything else, probably, because of its link and the blessings associated with it.

I'm very pleased I came to Britain. I think it's a fantastic place. The education has been the greatest thing. When I grew up there were still grants. My God, how I valued that and I still do. I came from what was virtually a mud hut in Kashmir.

Muhammad Salmin, 44, Support Worker, Bordesley Green, Birmingham

I was born in Uganda and came to the UK in 2000 to look for work. Before that I was in Holland studying medical biology, having left Uganda in 1996. Britain is a good country. I like the people, the social life and the freedom. The weather is moderate and the winters aren't like those in Canada or Russia.

Muhammad is a good and very important name. It belonged to the greatest person in the world, our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him. I couldn't count the number of people I know called Muhammad, but it's not confusing. Our characters are all different. I called my third child Muhammad.

The name is very important. It shapes your life. If you are named after the greatest prophet in the world, then you have to lead by example. He was sociable, friendly and very humanitarian. It's not easy to follow his example. If you are about to lie, for example, you can tell yourself you can't because Muhammad wouldn't have liked it. I don't feel unworthy of the name. I lead a good moral life.

If you see another person called Muhammad doing something bad you try to caution them and say that what they are doing is very shameful, and that it doesn't match their name.

As Muslims, we believe that Muhammad was most beloved of all Allah's creatures and his light was created before the whole world was created. I feel honoured that it's the second most popular name in Britain. Maybe in a few years it will be the most popular.

Mohammad Ashraf, 55, Surgeon, Kings Heath, Birmingham

I was born in Alipur in the Punjab district of Pakistan. I came to England in 1986 for the training. Once you begin it, and your children start growing up, it becomes more and more difficult to go back. I tried to go back home, but they didn't want to give me a job. When you are highly qualified they don't want you to sit on their private practices. They discourage you. There's a mafia in every profession and they will not allow you to enter if they can. It wasn't just a question of salary, you are better trained and that's a threat to them. I gave up.

I'm pleased I came to the UK. The good thing about having come here is that it's a free country and you can express yourself. I'm very, very proud of my name. The Prophet Muhammad was the first person ever to be given this name.

My family call me Ashraf, but here that's my surname. No one in Pakistan would call me Mohammad, but here everyone calls me that. I don't mind. I've got one son, and I called him Mohammed as well. I gave him the name for religious identity. I can't remember why I spelt it differently from mine. His friends call him Mo. Some people at work call me Mo, too.

Mohammad Tufael Chowdhury, 40, Works for IBM, London

I was born in Shoreditch, east London, within the sound of Bow Bells, and when I was a little kid my parents, whose families come from Bangladesh, opened an Indian restaurant in Lewisham, south London, in 1966. I live in Regent's Park now, just next to the mosque. It's great because I'm a massive cricket fan and I'm five minutes walk from Lord's. My joke is that I live next to my place of worship and there's a mosque nearby as well!

I'm trying to finish a book and do a TV programme. Most Muslim commentators in the UK aren't accepted as British in the public eye. People think, " What's their agenda?" I regard myself as a regular British citizen and people like myself have a responsibility to speak up.

My name has a lovely meaning: "someone who is praised". I hate being called Mo and I'm not a big fan of short forms, but I get called MC Hammer by colleagues.

I've always been happy with my name. There are lots of Muslims in this country who have an Arab name but only about 10 per cent of them are Arabs; most are Asians. So a lot of Asian parents don't know what the name means. I do: my middle name is Tufael, meaning "small boy" - I like it because I'm a bit of a kid, really.

It's incredible that Mohammad is the UK's second most popular name. I would have thought there'd be thousands of Mohammads because of Muslim tradition. This survey is an interesting way to see how the demographics of this country have evolved. If I have a son, Mohammad would definitely be part of his name.

Muhammad Arif, 52, Part-time Shopkeeper, Birmingham

I'm a retired naval officer and came from Chakwal in the Punjab district of Pakistan a year-and-a-half ago. I came to join my wife and children. I shifted my family here four years ago so my children could get a better education. I wanted them to do their GCSEs here. I planned to join them after my retirement and had a hard time living alone in Pakistan.

I have mixed feelings about living here. My friends are in Pakistan. But this is a fine country and my family is here. The people are nice. But there are many things that I don't like. The crime rate is alarming. Three times someone has come and damaged our car and gate. There is a drinking problem, too. People get drunk and it's scary. But otherwise people are very loving. I really appreciate being here.

I like my name very much. The Prophet was a dear, fine person. Most people call me Arif, but English people call me Muhammad. I am one of five brothers, and we are all called Muhammad. But we don't use it as a first name. I haven't called my children Muhammad, though. It's great news that it's the second most popular name for baby boys in Britain. I would be even more proud if it was the most popular.

Mohammed Bediako, 56, Security Officer, Walsall, West Midlands

I was born in Ghana and came to the UK five years ago from Holland. I wanted to bring my children to Holland, but they didn't speak Dutch and preferred England. The UK is important for education. With opportunities, children can make it. I'm very, very happy here. I hope to stay.

When you live here you have to do what the Government wants because you are a foreigner. You must try to be thankful.

My name is important to me. I am the only Muslim in the family; the others are Christians. When I learnt the Bible, I saw that Christians were not using it as they should; I converted to Islam at the age of 10.

I chose Mohammed as my name to use it as an example. Mohammed means trustworthy. If you choose that name you must be faithful, loyal and abide by everything. If your name is Mohammed and you are a terrorist, it means you are not in the fold of the Islamic religion.

Mohammed Ali, 28, Artist, Birmingham

I'm an artist, combining street graffiti with classical Islamic calligraphy. I was born and raised in Birmingham. Though my name is Mohammed, I was actually not known by it for many years. As is common in grammar schools like the one I attended, I was known for a long time to teachers and pupils simply by my surname, Ali. But, for reasons I didn't anticipate, the use of " Ali" stopped once my artwork gained recognition. That's when I found my first name being repeated in conversation. Everyone was saying, "Have you heard about Mohammed? Have you seen Mohammed's artwork? Have you seen Mohammed on TV?" It seems to have been a natural evolution, somehow, and it's had an effect on my faith, too. I've rediscovered myself as a Muslim and want to be known to all as Mohammed Ali.

Sharing my name with the Prophet Mohammed makes me feel strong and proud. This is who I am - Mohammed is who I am. The name has in no way hampered my life. Never, for the life of me, would I change it.

Mohamed Iqbal Dar, 62, Radio and TV Engineer, Birmingham

I was born in Tanzania. I named the country, actually. There was a competition to change the names of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. I was a student and I picked the letters from the two words.

I came to the UK in 1962 to study. It was easy to get used to Britain. There is a bit of racism, but I cope well. I love this country. I was educated here and I'm proud to be British. People are very civilised here.

My name is great. The Holy Book was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, so most people prefer to have his name. We follow his footsteps and most parents want to name their children after him.

I have two brothers and they are both named after the Prophet, too. It's not confusing: we call each other by the middle name. The name is easy to remember. It is spelt differently from the Prophet because that is the way it is on my birth certificate. But it's the same thing. I'm proud of it.

Mohamed Hachem, 43,Freelance Cameraman, London

When I was growing up I had a famous nickname. I used to play with a lot of electronic stuff and would build things like little robots. People said I had a brain for electronics so they called me Thomas, after Thomas Edison. My real name is Mohamed Hachem. I would grow old if I listed all the names on my birth certificate. In the old days, many Muslim parents named a new baby with the name of his father and grandfather and great-grandfather and so on. But I only use Mohamed.

I was born and grew up in Lebanon but I left in 1989 to escape the civil war. I moved to London and I am still here today, running my own business.

As a child I never thought about being called Mohamed. But growing up you start to understand more what it means. It means you have to be honest and good to other religions. I am proud to have this name and I think in this country a lot of parents choose it to keep their Muslim tradition going on. It's never been a problem for me. In fact it can be a good thing. Because I have a Muslim name, people often like to speak about religion with me, which is good because many people understand Islam in a wrong way. Not all Muslims are the same.

I have four daughters and no sons. If I had a son I wouldn't call him Mohammed, because I couldn't have two people with the same name in the family.

Mohammed Abdul, 66, Doctor, Working in Trauma and Orthopaedics, Margate, Kent

I think it was one of my family - an aunt or an uncle maybe - who wanted me to be named Mohammed. There was a tradition that because a boy is Muslim, s omewhere in their name there should be a Mohammed. (I was born in Bangladesh, and grew up in Dhaka before I came to the UK in 1969.)

My family thought that linking me to religion would benefit me spiritually. My father, Abdul Fateh, ensured that many of my five brothers were " Mohammed", too; it was a prefix.These days, I'm known to my friends and colleagues as Mo or Mobin. That's partly because I have distanced myself from the name. I'm just not keen on relating myself to religion since the Al-Qa'eda attacks.

The name Mohammed is falling into disuse in Bangladesh. None of my nephews has the name. It is no longer fashionable; people are giving their children fancy names.

Mohammed Waji, 20, Student, London

I live in Harrow, north-west London, which is where I grew up. My parents were both born in East Africa and moved here in the Seventies. I'm a student at the School of Oriental and African Studies, studying politics and I've just finished my second year.

I think it's fantastic that Mohammed has become one of the UK's favourite names - it will definitely give me something to talk about.I like my name. Obviously, sometimes it gets a bit confusing because there are lots of Mohammeds around, but you do get used to it. I've grown up with it, and I have my nicknames. Mo is the usual one, but it's always been good to be called Mohammed.

Mohammed Ahmed, 37, Managing Director/Founder of Translate Uk, Halifax

I would describe myself as a moderate Muslim but my name, Mohammed, is very important to me. When you have it, you are carrying a big name - with the obvious religious link to the Prophet. My middle name is Ali, but I have also found the name Mohammed to be extremely lucky in everything I do in my career in Britain. (I was born in Halifax.) Everything has seemed to work out for me and my work at Translate UK has turned out well since I established it a few years ago. Knowing the meaning of the name is important, and it gives you confidence. It is an honour. My brother is known by the same name, so it was significant to our parents.

The name is a blessing on the whole family, as well as the individual. I would never change my name, and I can say that with confidence. The same might be true for my children: I have been married for four years and have a baby due next month.

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2648144.ece

[Yasir]

A Moment of Reflection on the Name, Muhammad:

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[morbius]

This is interesting:

Darfur conflict heralds era of wars
triggered by climate change - UN report warns

· Drought and advancing desert blamed for tensions
· Chad and southern Africa also at risk from warming

Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
Saturday June 23, 2007
The Guardian


The conflict in Darfur has been driven by climate change and environmental degradation, which threaten to trigger a succession of new wars across Africa unless more is done to contain the damage, according to a UN report published yesterday.
"Darfur ... holds grim lessons for other countries at risk," an 18-month study of Sudan by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) concludes.

With rainfall down by up to 30% over 40 years and the Sahara advancing by well over a mile every year, tensions between farmers and herders over disappearing pasture and evaporating water holes threaten to reignite the half-century war between north and south Sudan, held at bay by a precarious 2005 peace accord.

The southern Nuba tribe, for example, have warned they could "restart the war" because Arab nomads - pushed southwards into their territory by drought - are cutting down trees to feed their camels.
The UNEP investigation into links between climate and conflict in Sudan predicts that the impact of climate change on stability is likely to go far beyond its borders. It found there could be a drop of up to 70% in crop yields in the most vulnerable areas of the Sahel, an ecologically fragile belt stretching from Senegal to Sudan. "It illustrates and demonstrates what is increasingly becoming a global concern," said Achim Steiner, UNEP's executive director. "It doesn't take a genius to work out that as the desert moves southwards there is a physical limit to what [ecological] systems can sustain, and so you get one group displacing another."

He also pointed to incipient conflicts in Chad "at least in part associated with environmental changes", and to growing tensions in southern Africa fuelled by droughts and flooding.

Estimates of the dead from the Darfur conflict, which broke out in 2003, range from 200,000 to 500,000. The immediate cause was a regional rebellion, to which Khartoum responded by recruiting Arab militias, the janjaweed, to wage a campaign of ethnic cleansing against African civilians. The UNEP study suggests the true genesis of the conflict pre-dates 2003 and is to be found in failing rains and creeping desertification. It found that:

· The desert in northern Sudan has advanced southwards by 60 miles over the past 40 years;


· Rainfall has dropped by 16%-30%;


· Climate models for the region suggest a rise of between 0.5C and 1.5C between 2030 and 2060;


· Yields in the local staple, sorghum, could drop by 70%.


In the Washington Post, the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, argued: "Almost invariably, we discuss Darfur in a convenient military and political shorthand - an ethnic conflict pitting Arab militias against black rebels and farmers. Look to its roots, though, and you discover a more complex dynamic. Amid the diverse social and political causes, the Darfur conflict began as an ecological crisis, arising at least in part from climate change."

In turn, the Darfur conflict has exacerbated Sudan's environmental degradation, forcing more than two million people into refugee camps. Deforestation has been accelerated while underground aquifers are being drained.

A peace deal signed last year by rebels and the Khartoum government broke down, but this month President Omar al-Bashir said he would accept the deployment of a joint UN and African Union force. He has reneged on similar pledges, but UN diplomats are hopeful this one will stick. However, the UNEP report warns that no peace will last without sustained investment in containing environmental damage and adapting to climate change. Mr Steiner said: "Simply to return people to the situation there were in before is a high-risk strategy."

The G8 summit ended in Germany with consensus over the severity of the climate change problem but no agreement on how it should be contained.

A common approach is supposed to be negotiated under UN auspices at the end of the year.