Today, De Montfort University (DMU) has published the report 'Being and Becoming: British Muslim Students' First-Year Journeys in Higher Education', produced with the support of The Aziz Foundation as part of the Muslim Friendly Universities (MFU) Programme.
This publication marks the final report in a series of three MFU studies, following work at the University of Bradford and Loughborough University, and represents an important contribution to sector-wide learning on faith, belonging and inclusion in higher education.
Co-funded by DMU and The Aziz Foundation, the research was co-created through a participatory methodology, working closely with five undergraduate student advisors to enhance student voice, support skills development and centre lived experience. The project explored how British Muslim students experience their Muslimness during their first year of study, revealing a complex terrain of being and belonging as students navigate faith, visibility and autonomy within the university context.
Key insights include:
-
The importance of anchor points - such as prayer spaces, Islamic societies, chaplaincy and Ramadan provision - in fostering a sense of feeling “at home”
-
Tensions where students can feel compelled to choose between educational engagement and religious practice
-
Experiences of heightened visibility and behavioural policing, particularly for Muslim women
-
The critical role universities can play in strengthening faith literacy among academic and professional staff
The report offers clear, constructive recommendations, including increasing religious literacy, a transparent approach to prayer space provision, more inclusive curriculum and assessment practices, stronger dialogue with Muslim agencies and Islamic societies and exploring inclusive catering options across campus.
The report’s Foreword is provided by Mohammed Laher, DMU Imam and Muslim Chaplain, with an institutional response from Professor Kasmin N. Sheikh, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Social Justice. The core research team comprised Professor Richard Hall, Dr Lucy Ansley, Dr Sumeya Loonat and Dr Lamia Nemouchi, working alongside student advisors Ola Al-Saedi, Humera Ashrafali, Dawood Khalifa, Maria Shah, Shimla Shifan and DMU alumnus Yasraa Maryam.
Dr Zain Sardar, Programme Manager at The Aziz Foundation, said: "DMU researchers have produced an exemplary report uncovering the textured and complex ways in which British Muslims express their faith identity within institutional, higher education settings. Evidently, this is the result of a genuine partnership between academic staff and students. Indeed, the co-produced, participatory nature of this research shows very clearly how you can nurture student agency through critical enquiry. More broadly, there is much that other institutions can learn from the leadership that DMU have shown in the field of equality, diversity and inclusion."
The DMU MFU Research Team, commented: "It has been a joy and a privilege engaging with our first- and second-year British Muslim students, in co-creating this project and in generating a richer understanding of their experiences of higher education. This work is crucial at a time when too many communities feel under threat. The voices of these students ask us to consider ways of weaving faith more fully into our institutional approach to social justice, extending our work on equality, diversity and inclusivity such that it is also framed by faith-based literacy. In dialogue with the reports at Bradford and Loughborough, and in renewed work with the networks facilitated by the Aziz Foundation, we hope that the report will enable those across the sector to reflect more deeply on the ways in which British Muslim students continue to enrich university life."
Professor Kasim N. Sheikh, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Social Justice at DMU, added: "De Montfort University is committed to creating communities of participation, fairness and collective responsibility. In this context our DMU-Aziz Foundation audit is helping to shape our understanding of how faith is integral to belonging for many, creating moral and ethical pathways, and bringing hope, stability and a sense of worth. This work reflects the importance of elevating the stories of British Muslim students at a time when, politically, a range of faith-based groups feel under pressure or threat. In celebrating how our Muslim students and staff enrich campus life and have their lives enriched in return, this report is a starting point for renewing our engagement with our thriving British Muslim students and communities."
We extend our thanks to the DMU research team, participating students and senior leadership, as well as colleagues across the MFU programme at Bradford, Loughborough and De Montfort University, for advancing this vital work.
This report is both a reflection and a starting point: an opportunity to build more faith-literate, inclusive university environments where British Muslim students and staff continue to thrive.
Please click here to read the full report:
https://lnkd.in/eibwUmsQ
