New imams ‘must be British’

MOSQUES must appoint British-born imams who speak fluent English because Islamic communities need “better leadership”, a report has concluded.

An inquiry chaired by Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, found that Muslims need “fit-for-purpose” leaders who can understand modern British life. The report, commissioned by the community-organising charity Citizens UK, set out to examine the participation of the Islamic community in public life. It noted that many Imams are born and educated overseas, but said: “It is of great importance that British-born imams, who have a good understanding of British culture and who fluently speak English, are encouraged and appointed in preference to overseas alternatives.”

Imams were told they must take a “stronger stance” against persecution of Christians and other branches of Islam, as well as anti-semitism.

The report, entitled Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All, also recommends that universities provide

courses so that imams can be accredited with religious and education qualifications.

“The commission has heard a great deal about the need for better leadership within the UK’S Muslim communities,” it said. “The management committees of the UK’S mosques need to better understand and respond to modern British life.”

Mr Grieve, who is the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield, said: “Polls demonstrate significant scepticism across British society about the integration, and even the shared allegiance, of their British Muslim fellow citizens.”

He said Muslims face “considerable challenges” from within their own communities that prevent them from participating in public life.

“The commission has also heard, forcefully expressed to it, the fear of many Muslims that, even in seeking to participate in public life or to work on a cross-community basis, they become subject to a much greater degree of adverse scrutiny, or to allegations about their motivation, than would be considered normal or acceptable for their non-muslim counterparts,” Mr Grieve wrote. “This is a matter for which there is overwhelming evidence.”

The report found that the “increasing absence” of Muslims from British civil society was a “growing problem”.

It said that in some areas Muslims were not participating in public life to their full potential, but in others they are just as engaged as – if not more so than – their white British counterparts.

The lack of integration was most pronounced in areas of high deprivation, the report found, but added that there was a “wealth of positive community work” by British Muslims at a local level.

The commission found that most Muslims live in urban areas, and – particularly among British Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities – children generally attend schools where most other children are of the same ethnic group.

But the report notes that integration is a “two-way street” and other groups must find ways to engage with different communities.

There is no definitive figure for how many mosques there are in the UK, the report said, although it said the best estimate is 1,500.