MINAB – Consultation and Establishment

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In 2006, Faith Associates pioneered a national consultation of over 1400 Mosques and Islamic Centres from around the UK to establish MINAB (Mosque and Imams National Advisory Board).

Following the atrocities of 7/7, when 4 home-grown Muslims perpetrated a terror attack on the Tube network of London, the focus of scrutiny shifted to the Mosque, the central institution of the Muslim Community.

The role of the Mosque came under pressure as some saw it to be the premiere breeding ground for extremism. There was a call to ‘reform’ the management of Mosques as a way of making them more open to the wider community and to help eradicate the problem of radicalisation.

Having built strong grass roots relationships with Mosques and Islamic Centres through the work of Faith Associates, CEO Shaukat Warraich pioneered a consultation which resulted in the creation of an independent self-regulatory body that aspired to build capacity in mosques, help deliver standards and ensure mosque personnel had a better understanding of British Muslims needs so that it could address concerns more effectively.

The consultation procedure took place across key UK cities led by a steering group. The magnitude of the achievement to create this self-regulatory body was seen in the composition of its leadership and its founding organizations that incorporated umbrella bodies spanning the full spectrum of Islamic schools of thought. The founding organizations included the: Al-Khoei Foundation, British Muslim Forum, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Muslim Council of Britain.

As a result of the consultation and subsequent creation of MINAB, the vision to improve standards within the Mosque sector was summarised in 5 key principles:

1. Members apply principles of good corporate governance
2. Members ensure that services are provided by suitably qualified and or experienced personnel
3. There are systems and processes in place to ensure that there are no impediments to the participation in the activities, including governance, for young people
4. There are systems and processes in place to ensure that there are no impediments to the participation in the activities, including governance, for women
5. Members ensure there are programmes that promote civic responsibility of Muslims in the wider society.

At present, MINAB has over 600 Mosques in its membership and continues to aid the improvement of governance in Mosques and Islamic Centres across the UK.

To see the full report of the findings of the consultation, download the full report here.