MAKKAH — British contact with Islam began at least as early as the 8th century. The Muslim Shahadah inscribed on British coins confirms contact between Britain and Islam during the years between 757 and 796.
Subsequently because of the Empire’s role and contact with colonies, the native non-Muslim British population had some sort of understanding of what Islam and its cultural traditions were.
The Muslim community built the first mosque in Britain in Cardiff, in the 1860s itself. It was the establishment of the Nizamiyyah Mosque Trust in 1928, which led to the foundation of the main mosque in London.
After the Second World War, with an increased demand for manpower, a large number of people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Africa and Arab countries entered Britain. In about 1960 Muslims began settling permanently in Britain.
There are now sizeable groups of Muslims from Bangladesh, India, Cyprus, Malaysia, Arab countries and parts of Africa. There is an increasing number of British-born Muslims as well as British converts to Islam. There are some two million Muslims in Britain and if this is correct, Islam is the second largest religion in Britain. British Muslims have built a number of mosques, Islamic centers and schools.
The first Islamic Cultural Center in Britain was opened in 1944. There are now more than 1,000 mosques and hundreds of Islamic institutions all over Britain. After settling in the country, the Muslim community began thinking about the education of their children and drew up term for it. They set up a large number of supplementary schools for teaching Qu’ran in the evenings or on weekends.
It is estimated that approximately 90% of all Muslim children between the ages of 5 and 12 attend such schools at some time.
Some Muslim organizations such as the Muslim Education Trust, National Muslim Educational Council of London, Muslim Schools Association and The Islamic Academy (Cambridge) are attempting to introduce an Islamic curriculum in state-supported schools.
The Islamic Academy regularly holds conferences, seminars and workshops on Islamic education and regularly publishes the Muslim Education Quarterly. Presently there are 25 independent Muslim schools in Britain, but all these combined provide education to only about 1% of an approximately 500,000 Muslim pupils in Britain. The rest go to state schools and educational institutions. Some successful students leaving these schools have joined the government or quasi- government services. Many Muslims now work in government offices, courts and educational institutions in the cities of Bradford, Birmingham and London.
Muslims have also established many cultural, literary and social welfare associations and organizations. The most prominent are The Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Center (1977), UK Islamic Mission (1963), The Muslim Educational Trust (MET)(1966), Union of Muslim Organizations of UK and Eire (1970), The Islamic Foundation in Leicester (1973), The Islamic Academy in Cambridge (1983), and the Indian Muslim Federation and the Muslim Institute, both in London.
The UK Islamic Mission began operations in 1963 with a group of students and young professionals mainly from Pakistan.
The Mission takes pride in the 3,000-plus children it teaches in its 38 branches which include 22 mosques and Islamic centers nationally, and in the 300 non-Muslims of various nationalities who have embraced Islam because of their work in the past 25 years.
The Muslim Education Trust (MET), set up in 1966, produces books and printed matter in English and trains personnel to teach Islam in schools. Its textbook “Islam: Beliefs and Teachings” has been revised and reprinted and had by 1992, it had sold more than 10,000 copies.
Another encouraging development in the last few years is the appearance in English of a number of books, which seek to address the challenges facing Muslims in Britain. In 1991 a pioneer B. Ed. course at Westhill College in Birmingham, incorporated Islam as the main subject and was taught by Muslim scholars. The Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, also in Birmingham, has Christian and Muslim scholars on its faculty. It offers an increasing number of students accredited degree courses in Islam as well as research programs.
The British Muslims Monthly Survey (BMMS) was started in January 1993 by the Center for the study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations in Birmingham.
There has been a Research Center for the Arabic Language at Oxford for a long time. In addition, there is also an Islamic Research Center at Oxford. It was established on 11 October 1985 and aims to promote better understanding of Islamic history, religion and culture. In 1994 Prince Charles, its patron, delivered an eloquent speech on Islam and the West at the center.
In the political field, organizations are attempting to get Muslim viewpoints aired and understood. The 1980s saw a dramatic increase in the number of Muslim councilors. In 1981 only three of Bradford’s 90 Councilors were Muslim and by 1992 there were 11 including the deputy leader of the ruling group.
Bangladeshi Muslims living in Britain are now councilors in London and held the position of Mayor in the Tower Hamlet Council area. There are large numbers of Pakistani Muslims on the Bradford and Birmingham Councils.
Second-generation British Muslims who were born in Britain have been educated in English. Their mastery of English enables them to communicate effectively and begin to work together. Unlike the previous generation, this new generation has no barriers in communication as they are fluent in English.
