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There are an estimated 2 million Muslims in Britain but no organisation represents them all. The reasons for this are as much cultural as religious. The Muslim community in the UK is made up of widely disparate groups which come from different parts of the world with different traditions and practices.
There is the ancient split between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims. There are further differences based on which country particular communities originate from. Despite their common religion, it can be hard to see what Muslims from the Arab world have in common with the Black American activists of Nation of Islam or Barelwi Muslims from South Asia, for example.
Add into the mix the generation gap, which puts many British-born Muslims at odds with older relatives, plus extreme radical Islamists building up a following, and it is clear that Muslims in Britain are a far from homogenous group.
Islam has no living leader – no equivalent of the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury. There have been attempts to set up a governing body to represent the many Muslims in Britain and give them more of a voice. Indeed, many leading members of the Muslim community are well-respected by the government and authorities. Yet it can be confusing trying to work out who has authority to speak for a large proportion of Muslims and who is a radical extremist spouting slogans that few support.
The Muslim Council of Great Britain, formed in 1996, claims to be the 'largest umbrella organisation of Muslims' in the UK, recognised by all the mainstream political parties. It does not, though, claim to be the sole representative of Muslims.
There is a range of groupings within the Muslim community, whose diversity is often influenced by social and cultural considerations as well as the particular Islamic school of thought they are affiliated to. This includes the Deobandi community, the Barelwi community and others.
The Barelwi are an influential, but low-profile, group within Sunni Islam that takes its name from the town where its founder lived. Most of their followers originate from the Indian Subcontinent. It is estimated that about 50-60% of mosques in Britain are Barelwi, with communities in Bradford, Peterborough, Leicester, Derby and other towns.
The Islamic Society of Britain is considered a more modern, younger organisation than others in the community. Set up in 1989 to co-ordinate a Muslim political voice, it has had little impact on British politics, though there are many Muslim local councillors, as well as a handful of politicians, such as Baroness Pola Uddin and MP Keith Vaz. The Islamic Society's youth section, called Young Muslims UK, organises a host of events such as Scouts, camps, conferences and political campaigns.
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