LONDON, Feb 24: Most of the imams who lead prayers in British mosques have come from outside Britain and are “therefore not qualified or properly equipped to help young British Muslims integrate into a democratic, multi-faith society,” claims a report (Mosques made in Britain) released on Tuesday.

The report is based on a survey conducted by the Quilliam Foundation whose declared aim is to achieve a more Muslim Britain.

Quilliam conducted a poll in September 2008 of over 500 mosques in Britain, which posed five questions about facilities for women, language, evening classes for children and where the imam(s) were from and where they trained.

The survey found that out of 254 mosques, 97 per cent of imams came from outside of Britain, and out of 152 mosques, 92 per cent trained abroad.

The survey also found that out of 494 mosques, 44 per cent do not include English in any aspect of their Friday sermons and out of 501 mosques only 54 per cent say they have facilities for women.

On the basis of these results, the report claims that the religious leadership in the vast majority of Britain’s mosques, “therefore, is not in full command of the English language, and is likely to be ill-equipped to address the real concerns and everyday experiences of young British Muslims”.

The report further says: “Their overseas upbringing and training does not prepare them to help young British Muslims integrate into a democratic, multi-faith society, of which they have a limited understanding, and leaves them powerless to challenge Islamist extremist rhetoric propagated by young, English-speaking, and articulate Muslims.

“This current disconnect between young, English-speaking Muslim men and women who hold their faith to be of fundamental importance, and their insular, elder, family members who retain control of most mosques, has led to young Muslims turning to other outlets for their religion-based worldview. University Islamic societies, Muslim satellite channels, annual summer camps, conferences, exhibitions, internet chat forums, and membership-based voluntary organisations have all become viable, alternative social spaces for young, engaged Muslims.”

Muslim communities in Britain are diverse, with a study undertaken by the Open Society Institute (2005) stating that “it is claimed that the Muslim community (in the UK) has 56 nationalities, speaks 70 languages and prays in more than 1,200 mosques”.

But the majority of British Muslims are from the Indian subcontinent, and Sunni Islam’s Deobandi and Barelvi denominations are dominant, although Shi’as, Salafis, Sufis and others contribute to the landscape.

According to the Institute for Community Cohesion (April 2008), at a local level, mosques form the bedrock of British Muslim communities, with high attendance rates for Friday prayers even amongst “nominally practising Muslims”. Mosques are dominated by the Barelvi, Deobandi and Salafi denominations and Muslims are more likely to “worship in a mosque with others from a similar ethnic background and religious practice”.

Accordingly, most mosque and likewise madressah are established and administered along “theological and most often corresponding ethnic lines”.

In addition to offering prayer facilities and religious services, mosques often also act as community centres, offering Islamic education in the form of madressah, and recreational activities.

In a survey conducted by the Policy Exchange in 2007, 86 per cent of Muslims felt that “my religion is the most important thing in my life”.