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The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) conference

Date of speech	10 May 2009

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Draft text of the speech - may differ from the delivered version.

Introduction

Mr Chairman, members of the Steering Group, friends, delegates.

Sadiq Khan addressing the MINAB conference

Thank you for your hospitality. Today's Annual General Meeting marks a significant milestone not just for MINAB but also for Muslim communities around the UK, who are developing the work of previous generations of British Muslims who built and supported our first mosques. I would like to congratulate everyone who has put in hard work and effort to get us here.

Why today matters

I want to reiterate what the Secretary of State for Communities said in her message. Today is a time to remember the part played by British Muslims in every aspect of our national life. We should take pride in this country's diversity.

However, we must not forget that there are a minority of people who reject values that are common to the majority of Britons and Muslims - like tolerance, fairness and peace. They want to set people against each other. I am deeply saddened by the apparent arson attack carried out against a mosque and Islamic centre in Luton earlier this week. Whilst no one was injured in the attack this does highlight a real need for communities to come together to develop a deeper understanding of our common values.

As a society we must defend and promote these values: respect for the rule of law, freedom of speech, equality of opportunity, respect for others and responsibility towards others.

It would be rash for us to deny that there is risk of the scourge of violence in some places. Mosques have to be part of the solution - and they are certainly not the problem. Well run mosques are best placed to serve their local communities. I believe that the agenda to improve standards of leadership and governance in mosques is all the more crucial at this time of economic uncertainty, with many families around the country having to make every pound stretch that much further. Britain is facing its biggest economic challenges for a generation. These problems are global in their origin, but they are felt acutely in our local communities. The Government is doing all it can, nationally and internationally, to get real help to people in these tough times.

Now more than ever, people are looking to where they can find certainty, hope, and guidance. This is what mosques and local faith communities can offer. And that is to say nothing of the practical support many mosques and other places of worship already give: whether in terms of their delivery of services, or their ability to point people in the right direction to access those services and advice elsewhere.

So I am honoured to be here to share today with you. The mosque is one of the most important institutions in the Islamic community, and it plays a key role in the everyday lives of Muslims. History tells us that one of the very first practices of the Prophet Muhammad when he migrated from Makka to Medina was to establish a mosque. And here in the UK over the past decades the establishment of new mosques has been a continuous phenomenon. Mosques are not simply a place of worship, they are places where everyone is to be treated with respect and be given the opportunity to get involved. This involvement takes various forms: sports and community activities; women and toddler groups; language classes; and of course pastoral care and support.

Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board

Research into British mosques that the Charity Commission released earlier this year gave a good insight of the current shape of the UK's mosques. Almost all the mosques they interviewed educate young people. Four in five raise money to help the poor and vulnerable. Most have women's groups. Many more get involved in sport, health, or services for older people. This is what Islam truly means in practice for the vast majority: A personal and spiritual faith matched by a sense of social responsibility, motivating people to do good for their neighbourhood and community.

However, Government is alive to these challenges - and that is why, in response to calls from Muslim communities, we are looking to:

1. enable more faith leaders to be trained in this country
2. improve qualification standards
3. help existing faith leaders improve their language, pastoral and other skills.

Let me be clear that this is not about Government interference in religion, but about working with communities to support them to be stronger, safer and more cohesive. Independent, community led approaches like MINAB are a valuable part of this effort. We are supporting MINAB because its work has the potential to assist real improvements for Muslims in all mosques.

MINAB have worked hard to engage mosques, Muslim organisations and others to develop a vision and route map for strong mosques, positioned at the heart of their communities. Its worth remembering that MINAB's constitution and standards are the result of over 3 years independent, careful work. It has involved bringing together communities from different parts of the country, with different traditions and backgrounds (and schools and sub-schools of thought). MINAB's membership is open to all UK Muslim institutions, and I am pleased that to date registration has far exceeded expectations with nearly six hundred large and small (including grassroots) mosques and training institutes showing their support. However, we must remember that this is just the beginning and it is the responsibility of every member to realise the longer term goal of improving governance and leadership in all mosques.

All mosques need to set their sights high, and be the best they can be, with strong leadership from Imams and management giving the stimulus for continuous improvements. The 5 standards will enable mosques to:

• provide the highest standards of services, and safety, for children, the congregation and visitors.
• ensure that youth and women have the opportunity to access, and shape, activities in places of worship. Instilling in young people a strong understanding of different communities, different religions - and particularly their own religion - is of course of vital importance.
• recognise that faith centres - churches, mosques, synagogues and others - all have an important role to play in bringing communities together. Earlier this year the Yorkshire and Humber Faiths Forum proved that faith communities are keen to engage in dialogue with each other and the community. Sponsored by Bradford University, representatives of faith communities were brought together to network and build dialogue. There are many similar examples of good practice around the country.

Bringing the standards to life will help mosques fulfil their roles even more effectively. Community hubs, places which bring people together and which provide services, are the bedrock of local communities.

In Communities and Local Government we want to support the improvement of standards and governance in all mosques and we are also working with the Faith and Social Cohesion Unit within the Charity Commission to increase the registration of mosques as charities, strengthen their governance and promote the valuable contribution they make to their communities and to wider society. The Commission's work has recently extended into the Yorkshire and Humber region with a launch event in Bradford this coming Wednesday.

Recognising the diversity of our communities

The Department's 2007/08 Citizenship Survey found that Muslims were more likely than the general population to feel that they belonged to Britain and just as likely as the general population to agree that they felt part of British society. The Citizenship Survey also found that Muslims were just as likely as all people to think that obeying and respecting the law, helping and protecting your family, working to look after yourself and voting were responsibilities of everyone.

And we understand that there is no single 'Muslim community' in the UK ust as there is no single type of mosque. However, the one thing that we do know is that about 50 per cent of the UK's Muslims are women, 50 per cent under 25. That is why MINAB's work to support women and young people is so valuable.

Wider CLG initiatives

It is also important to remember that this is not just about focusing on Muslim communities. At Communities and Local Government we have created a number of initiatives for all communities - for example, the Secretary of State recently announced £2 million funding support to encourage at least 20 new young mayors around the country who will have a power to influence council policies that matter to young people: from increasing community cohesion to safe streets, to the provisions of youth centres, gyms and open spaces.

We are also empowering local communities to address issues themselves. The Journey of the Soul project in Birmingham provides a space for often alienated young people to engage with elders within their community and encourage them to build effective ongoing relationships and explore identity together. A subsidiary aim of the project is to increase number of professional Muslims who volunteer their skills within communities. And Birmingham City Council's capacity building and governance of mosques project is a good example of how areas can work together to help build the capacity of Mosque communities to improve leadership and ensure that women and young people participate in the development of the Mosque.

Conclusions

As I said in my booklet for the Fabian Society - Muslim communities in the UK need fairness, not favours. Progress is being made - but we are not there yet.

When I take part in events like these, I know we can stand together, united, and confident in our shared future. The vast majority of Muslims are proud of their faith and their nationality, see no conflict or contradiction between being British and being Muslim. They are an integral part of the economic, cultural and social life of their neighbourhood and the country, giving the lie to the ideas of division and difference that are at the heart of those sponsoring the language and actions of hate. MINAB's constitution and standards set out to provide a bulwark against these abhorrent ideas.

This afternoon you will get down to the business end of the AGM with the election process. The newly appointed Executive Board will later convene for Oath.

I believe we should be optimistic today. I wish MINAB every success and swift progress in its work.

Thank you for listening. I'd like to again congratulate MINAB on behalf of the Ministerial Team at Communities and Local Government. In particular, I wanted to thank Judge Khurshid Drabu for his relentless hard work and professionalism in bringing this phase of MINAB's work to a close. I know that he, and others like him, have sacrificed so much of their personal time to guide MINAB's work and make this AGM a reality.

I am sure the Executive Board will appreciate their heroic efforts, and ensure that MINAB achieves its aim of facilitating good governance throughout British mosques - and in doing so fully supporting the rich tapestry of faith, race, culture and experience that defines British society - because this is what makes us unique in the World.