I’d never been inside a mosque in Britain before September 2008. I have come a long way since then.

Despite the headlines, too little is known about Britain’s second largest religion. The majority of us don’t have Muslim neighbours or colleagues. Perhaps this is why, as I set foot for the first time in a mosque in Leyton, east London, I did so with mild trepidation—feeling as I have done innumerable times when I have been in unfamiliar surroundings, be it in Albania, Cambodia, Morocco or The Gambia. It was quite unexpected; I was still in England. I was there by appointment, yet felt oddly self-conscious. What was the protocol?

I was shown first to the women’s section that was alive with women and girls preparing for an event. I watched closely for hints on how to behave appropriately. Of course, I learned nothing new beyond what my common sense dictated. What on earth had I expected?

I was there because I was researching a major new project looking at institutional weaknesses in mosques, and trying to find ways in which they could better serve their communities. In addition to a phone poll conducted during Ramadan, which reached more than 500 mosques, much of my research was conducted by telephone—which meant that most interviewees knew me only by my gender, name (I could be from anywhere: Slavic or Dutch perhaps, though I’m neither) and accent (rusty public school).

Most people I spoke to were directly involved in a mosque, and I think some felt reluctant to answer sensitive questions about the way their religion is practised. All agreed that there is a need for change, and I set about collecting anecdotal evidence of the problems with the way most British mosques are governed, the need for imams that are better placed to reach the next generation of Muslims and the impact of unregulated supplementary schools (madrasas) attached to most mosques. But I was left wondering what the solutions were.

What struck me most were both the lack of women’s facilities in mosques, and the inaccessibility of the faith practiced in them. Mosques, often as combined places of worship and community or cultural centres, are vital in building community relations. But Friday prayer sermons are mostly conducted in a language other than English; it is only the better-resourced mosques that can afford an imam who is proficient in English. Highly mobile though our society is, why should British-born Muslims who feel most comfortable speaking English, converts, or even someone like me who would just like to know more, have to travel outside their communities to larger urban centres for access to religious guidance, when one of Britain’s 1,200—1,600 mosques may well be on their doorstep? Young Muslim women suffer two-fold; many mosques, including some of the largest ones in Britain, have inadequate prayer facilities for women at best, or no facilities at all.

More than half the British Muslim population is aged under 25, and more than half of all British Muslims were born here. Although mosque attendance amongst young Muslims in Britain is still relatively low, it’s on the increase. In the face of this growing demand, there is a real need to develop the kind of mosque that sits comfortably within a democratic, secular, multi-faith Britain and which reflects the greater ownership young Muslims should feel over their local communities and country.

British-born and British-educated Muslims should take the lead on developing this. Imams are employees of the mosque and they are recruited and controlled by management committees, which are largely dominated by first-generation elders. Mosque religious leadership cannot be addressed without rethinking this. A whole wealth of ideas, energy and experience exists out there, particularly among women and young people, and this needs to be harnessed into reinvigorating mosque life.

That’s the easy part. Addressing the ongoing concern about the quality of the education currently received by imams trained in dar al-ulums (seminaries) in Britain is another problem entirely.

Imams must balance the needs of all members of their congregation, of varying ages and both genders. An imam’s role already often extends beyond leading prayers to religious and counseling services, teaching in supplementary schools (madrasas) and leading study circles for young people. In short: a highly engaged, more pastoral role than is traditionally performed in the Indian subcontinent. In Britain, imams need to be able to understand and actively address everyday concerns, about both perceived and actual inequalities and discrimination, as well as the mainstream understanding of Islam in this country. They need to deal with issues inside Muslim communities like forced marriage, extremism and language barriers too, as well as concerns that affect all British citizens, ranging from social welfare, to British foreign policy and the credit crunch. Such a role requires a level of commitment to British values and a grasp of British political and social life that many imams simply don’t have, because most in Britain today were born and trained overseas.

As a result, many young Muslims seek religious guidance from places where Islamist extremists are active: at colleges and universities where Muslim chaplains are spread thin; on the internet’s boundless, unregulated chat forums and blogs; or via agenda-driven organisations. Imams are a huge potential resource for young people, both male and female, and could act as a counterbalance against extremist rhetoric.

A British Islam, that anchors Muslims as members of communities within Britain, would counteract the sectarian rivalries within mosques that allow those who are either new, or who are returning to their faith, to fall between the cracks and fall prey to extremists. For this, a new results-driven, community-centred approach by mosques is needed. Resources could be pooled, allowing smaller mosques in particular to improve both the quality and the extent of their services. Perhaps Britain can even pioneer a way forward for Muslim relations in diaspora communities elsewhere in Europe. I am hopeful.

Mosques Made in Britain, by Anya Hart Dyke, is available to download from Quilliam’s website: www.quilliamfoundation.org.

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