British Elite turn to Islam

Very interesting to see this especially as the origin of the article is the Sunday Times. I think I'm intrigued by it but also wanting to put some other context. I have seen figures suggesting that the number of people involved in British Buddhism rose from c 5,000 to something like 50,000 during the 1990's. I'd like to find out a bit more about that fugure [I think it was from an article in an OMF publication]. So clearly we aren't looking at a flow solely into Islam but rather a manifestation of British spiritual searching combined with the feel for the esoteric, exotic and/or cross-cultural [and perhaps even the supposed rooting for the underdog?]

The thing that kind of galls though is the 'trophy' converts thing: it is understandable for Muslims to take delight in such conversions and for the people concerned to publically proclaim their new-found faith. However this is a one-way traffic: Muslim background believers [ie those who have become Christians] do not have the same liberty because the normal interpretation of Sharia means that such people are at risk and most of them do not wish to place their families and friends in danger of official or unofficial reprisal for the 'crime' of giving up Islam to become Christians. I think I'd be more impressed if at least some of these new Muslims would also make some kind of stand for religious liberty for those who wish to take the opposite road. "There is no compulsion in religion" is a text that is to be found in the Qu'ran, presumably it has been abrogated or reinterpreted by sunna? I'll have to find out sometime.