The Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think tank founded by former Islamists, published a report about teachings in British mosques. The study entitled ‘Mosques Made in Britain’ finds that nearly all imams have been born, raised and educated abroad and hardly know anything about (Muslim) life in Britain, including the English language. Therefore they are unable to cater for the needs of the majority, as most British Muslims are under 25. The radical positions of the Deobandi tradition attract some, while causing more liberal minded Muslims to get lost.
The government works on two fronts – to enhance societal cohesion by ameliorating the living conditions of British Muslims and to fight homegrown terrorism. Despite great efforts for both, it is being debated whether the money is well spent e.g. in the ‘Prevent’ program, because suspicions on the radical Muslim side are high and they are unlikely to take funding from the government.
Other voices are more optimistic, pointing to the Muslim Educational Centre and the Centre for British Islam, both in Oxford. It is believed these centers contribute to a modern, liberal and western Islam and thereby create a counterweight to extremism.
