OK - I think I arrived too late to offer anything new re advice on the language topic. I think it's already been said - but to summarise: * Most Muslims in UK are from Indo-subcontinent (i.e. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh etc.) and speak Urdu - not Arabic. * Arabic is the language used to recite Koran - not spoken as a language except in Arabic countries. * Urdu originally hails from India (before partition of East and West Pakistan) - and is the more "persian influenced" form of the Sanskrit-derived language that was spoken in India. The other not-so-persian-influenced Indian language mostly spoken in india was/is Hindi - and when both Urdu and Hindi are spoken in "informal" (street) forms then they are most very similar. However - when they are both spoken in their "formal" forms then they are incomprehsible to each other's speakers! * So - informal Urdu will also help you understand informal Hindi as well as Punjabi (which is what I can speak). These three languages are the most commonly spoken (other than English of course!) in London - and probably UK.