Muslim Origins and Key Organisations in the UK

• Individual Muslims and small groups have been present in the UK over many centuries. But it was with mid-20^th century New Commonwealth immigration, and subsequent refugee movements of people that substantial numbers of Muslims settled here.

• Muslims of both Sunni and Shi’a traditions (see A Short Introduction to Islam), and aligned with a variety of Muslim movements, are found in the UK. Sunni Muslims of South Asian origins are in the majority, although there are also substantial groups of Muslims of Arabic, Turkish, African, and Bosnian backgrounds.

• Because of the South Asian predominance, the Deobandi and the Barelwi movements are particularly widespread in their influence. Also present are the Ahl-e-Hadith and Tablighi Jamaat movements.

• Among Shi’a Muslims are the so-called ‘Twelvers’ (or ‘Ithna Aheris’) and the so-called ‘Seveners’ (or Ismailis). Sufism is the mystical strand of Islam, found among both Sunni and Shi’a Muslim traditions.

• Various organisations have sought to represent the interests of Muslims at national level, including the Union of Muslim Organisations of the UK and Eire; UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs; and the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain. More recently the Muslim Council of Britain has emerged involving Muslims from a wide spectrum of Islamic traditions and movements.

• For information on Muslim organisations and mosques in the UK and worldwide, see the Muslim Directory On-Line.

Written by Professor Paul Weller