On 29th November 2025, the Centre for Intra-Muslim Studies (CIMS) convened a roundtable dialogue addressing Muslim educational underachievement in the United Kingdom. The event brought together scholars, educational experts, imams, community leaders and Muslim youth from diverse organisations and schools of thought. The dialogue comprised a presentation of the problem by CIMS Co-Director Hayyan Janbaz followed by an open roundtable discussion. The session concluded with the proposal of forming a core working group, which will meet in the coming months through successive meetings to strategise and develop actionable guidelines for mosques, Imams and community institutions to address educational challenges at the grassroots level.
From Prophetic Legacy to Present Reality: Presentation of the Problem
Hayyan grounded the discussion in the Quranic command “Iqra” (Read), the first revelation to the Prophet (Holy Qur’an, 96:1-5), and the prophetic declaration that “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” He traced the prophetic model of education, from offering Badr prisoners freedom in exchange for teaching literacy, to the achievements of scholars like Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq who integrated faith with intellectual excellence. He then presented the current reality: Muslims constitute approximately 6.5% of the UK population yet represent 18% of the prison population (UK Prison Population Statistics, House of Commons, 2024); 40% of the Muslim population in England live in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country (Muslim Council of Britain, 2025 Census Report); and only 18% of Muslim students achieve first-class degrees, a lower proportion than any other religious group (Advance HE, 2020). Hayyan emphasised that analysing the current situation shouldn’t focus solely on assigning blame but rather on how we, as a community, can collaborate to tackle these challenges and collectively take responsibility for change.
Roundtable Discussion: Key Themes and Contributions
Inspiring Children with Islamic Intellectual Heritage
Participants emphasised that Muslim children are often unaware of their glorious intellectual heritage. Instead, they are confronted with negative portrayals of Muslims in media and society. One contributor noted:
“Who is telling them that Muslims have a responsibility towards educating themselves and the community? That to be leaders in education is the ethos of Islam? If there were avenues where Muslims are not reduced to just defending Islam due to the negative portrayal, but there are discourses where they feel empowered through knowing about the rich intellectual tradition, where they feel motivated and inspired, then the outcome would automatically begin to change.”
A university student contributor highlighted that beyond professional excellence, there is a moral crisis underlying the statistics. He reminded attendees of the Quranic verse:
“It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom” (Holy Qur’an, 62:2).
He emphasised that historical Muslim scholars were grounded in Islamic sciences, demonstrating that moral and intellectual excellence were never separated.
The False Secular-Religious Divide
Multiple participants identified the artificial separation between “secular” and “religious” education as a historical mistake that has held the community back. One contributor stated: “We have divided the education as well… When we talk about our glorious time, that division was not there at all. Nowadays, if you ask anybody who is so-called religious, they will say earning money is dirty. But making money is sacred as well.”
Participants noted that this divide has historical roots in colonial policy. Prior to British rule, the Indian subcontinent had a well-organised education system where Muslim children attended madrasas and maktabs with curricula encompassing Arabic, Persian, theology, grammar, logic, law, mathematics, philosophy and medicine. The English Education Act of 1835, following Lord Macaulay’s Minute on Education, rejected this faith-based system and replaced it with English-medium Western education. Macaulay’s explicit aim was to create “a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect.” This policy marginalised indigenous knowledge systems, and Muslims who opposed these changes found themselves denied government positions and economically disadvantaged, contributing to the social divergence that would later deepen communal divisions.
The Role of Parents, Family and Community Institutions
Several contributors identified the family as the primary institution for nurturing both religious identity and educational aspiration. One participant stated:
“Inspiration is not from others, it’s from home. The biggest problem is that parents lack that capacity, and not enough is done by the community and institutions to support, educate and empower parents in dealing with the challenges.”
Linked to this was a significant discussion on the underutilisation of mosques and Islamic centres. Contributors noted that Muslim communities invest millions of pounds in mosque buildings, yet these facilities often remain largely unused outside prayer times. Suggestions included establishing tuition centres for maths, English and sciences within mosques; creating after-school clubs for children; providing play groups for mothers and young children; and offering structured support during critical educational years such as GCSEs and A-levels. The consensus was that parents, mosques and madrasas must work together as a unified ecosystem rather than operating in silos.
Broader Perspectives: Role Models, Values and Service to Humanity
Participants identified the absence of positive Muslim role models across diverse professional fields as a significant factor, emphasising that communities need excellence across all spheres, including poets, scholars, mathematicians and politicians. Contributors called for a value-based approach to education that connects learning to broader purposes beyond personal gain, asking:
“What is the purpose of education? Is it just to have a good quality of life for yourself? But what about the quality of life of brothers and sisters?”
A thought-provoking contribution reminded attendees that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in Medina served humanity broadly, not only Muslims, cautioning against an insular approach: “We must be an asset to society, not a liability.” Concerns were also raised about the physical and mental health of Muslim children, with calls for attention to holistic wellbeing alongside educational initiatives.
Recommendations Emerging from the Dialogue
The roundtable identified several practical recommendations:
- Mosque-Based Educational Support: Transform mosques and Islamic centres into community hubs offering tuition in core subjects such as maths, English and sciences, after-school clubs and structured support during key examination periods.
- Parental Education and Mentoring: Develop programmes to train parents in mentoring their children, creating awareness about the importance of both Islamic and academic education.
- Scholarship and Sponsorship Programmes: Encourage the business community and mosque committees to sponsor university students and support brilliant students who cannot afford higher education, recognising this as equally rewarding as funding mosque buildings.
- Integrated Curriculum Development: Work towards educational models that integrate Islamic sciences with contemporary disciplines, following the historical model of Muslim scholarship.
- Youth Engagement: Bridge the gap between youth and mosque committees by creating spaces where young people feel welcomed and invested in.
- Role Model Visibility: Identify and promote Muslim role models across diverse professional fields to inspire young people.
- Universal Approach: Frame educational initiatives as serving humanity broadly, not exclusively the Muslim community, in keeping with Islamic principles of benefit to all creation.
Next Steps: Formation of Core Working Group
The dialogue concluded with the formation of a core working group comprising selected members with expertise in education, community leadership and Islamic scholarship. This group will be tasked with:
- Developing practical guidelines for imams and mosque committees on addressing educational underachievement at the grassroots level
- Creating frameworks for collaboration between mosques, madrasas and mainstream educational institutions
- Identifying and connecting imams with relevant educational expertise and resources
- Charting a plan for implementation across participating communities
The core group will convene in the coming months to develop these guidelines and chart a comprehensive action plan.
Conclusion
The CIMS dialogue on Muslim educational underachievement represents a significant step in bringing together diverse Muslim voices to address a shared challenge. By grounding the discussion in Islamic scripture and prophetic tradition while honestly confronting contemporary realities, the dialogue established both the urgency and the theological imperative for action.
The formation of the core working group signals a commitment to moving from discussion to actionable outcomes. The dialogue demonstrated that addressing Muslim educational underachievement requires coordinated efforts across facmilies, mosques, madrasas and wider community institutions, grounded in both Islamic principles and evidence-based approaches to educational support.
