And one stat that really shows the Tories are taking Muslim votes seriously.
Darren Staples / Reuters
BIRMINGHAM -- The Conservative party's campaign chief has said his party "[has] to do more" to attract Muslim voters as they increasingly hold the balance of power in constituencies across the country.
Lynton Crosby, who normally prefers to operate in the shadow, made a rare public appearance at a Conservative party conference fringe event organised by Mend (Muslim Engagement & Development), an organisation that seeks to engage the British Muslim community in politics.
The organisation found Muslims could play a major role in determining the winner of next year's general election.
According to data compiled by MEND compiled from the census, the University of Manchester, a researcher at the University of Bristol and focus groups conducted by the organisation itself, the organisation created charts about the attitudes of British Muslims. (It's worth noting that some in the audience questioned the methodology for the organisation's own polling.)
Here are some things we learned about the influence Muslims can have on UK politics:
Population growth amongst Muslims in the UK is pretty high.
In 2001, there were only 30 seats in which Muslims made up more than 20% of the population, according to data from the national census.
Ten years later, in 2011, this had gone up to 54 seats. This means Muslims now play a crucial role in many constituencies.
But a lot of Muslims typically think the Labour Party does a better job at representing their ideas.
Muslims are more likely to vote Lib Dem than Conservative.
