British Muslim Network holds first discussions on improving Muslims’ lives
Professionals in the fields of health, finance, government and community work met for the group’s launch event on Tuesday — findings will be reported to the government
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Muslim faith leaders, business owners, politicians, civil servants, charity workers and medical professionals from across the UK gathered in London on Tuesday for the launch of the British Muslim Network (BMN).
The event at the Hilton London Kensington hotel featured about 60 participants taking part in roundtable discussions on how to improve the lives of British Muslims.
The network, a new national body intended to connect Muslim experts in different fields with the government and other policymakers, is chaired by Akeela Ahmed — an equalities campaigner who previously chaired the government’s working group on anti-Muslim hatred — and imam Qari Asim of Makkah Mosque in Leeds.
Discussions held by the BMN will be turned into reports and shared with the government.
Ahmed said in January that the group was not seeking to rival the Muslim Council of Britain, which recently elected a new secretary general, as a representative body for UK Muslims.
“British Muslims are one of the largest faiths in the UK and one of the most discriminated against parts of society,” said Asim.
“Yet despite that policymakers have consistently failed to engage with Muslim voices. Our aim is to help change that — for the good of Muslims and everyone in our society.”
The BMN’s advisory board includes Sumayah Saadi, owner of fashion brand Sumayah; Abdurahman Sayed, chief executive of the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in London; Dr Hina Shahid, chair of the Muslim Doctors Association; and Augustus Della-Porta, a partner at Bates Wells law firm.
During Tuesday’s event, participants were asked to discuss their ideas on six key themes: improving social mobility, building philanthropy and community infrastructure, better outcomes for the health and wellbeing of Muslims, increasing representation of Muslims in arts and culture, addressing Islamophobia and how Muslims can shape the economy.
Those who took part in the roundtables included charity workers, mental and physical health professionals, civil servants, finance professionals and representatives from mosques and Muslim community groups.
The event was not open to the media, but Shafaq Hussain-Ali, an NHS dentist who chaired the table focusing on healthcare, said afterwards that her group had agreed Muslims were more likely to face additional cultural barriers when accessing services. She gave the example of taboos around disability within some Muslim communities, or how women may not feel comfortable going to a male GP.
The group also wants to identify gaps in healthcare service provision across the UK. “We had people on the table from across the UK,” she said. “We’re going to start by going and doing research in our own areas and see where the gaps are, and then look into why those gaps exist.”
Dr Shabina Qayyum, a Labour councillor in Peterborough, chaired a conversation on improving social mobility. The group discussed creating a system that could audit mosques across the UK, particularly looking at inclusion of women and marginalised groups.
She said carrying out a survey of mosques in this way could help identify gaps where the network could step in and “raise the profile” of those that might be struggling.
“We could highlight and celebrate examples of good practice, and see what they are doing well, and how that could be translated across smaller mosques that might not have the resources to exercise good practice in the same way,” Qayyum said.
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