THE CITY CIRCLE

Much is written about young British Muslims, but what are young Muslims themselves saying and thinking about the lives they live? 

A major new study of Britain is Muslim youth argues that young Muslims clearly see themselves as British, but also feel let down in several ways by a society that misreads them - but wastes no time in speaking about them! Seen and Not Heard: Voices of Young British Muslims, by Sughra Ahmed, is the result of 18 months of rigorous research across England, Scotland and Wales listening to and analysing the voices, feelings and aspirations of young people from across the UK. 

The report enables female and male voices to express, in their own words, their outlook and how they feel they are perceived, scoping topical issues such as intergenerational challenges, identity, gender, religious teachings, mosques, policing and the media. 

The findings in this report challenge both British society and the Muslim community to do more to connect with young people and their latent talents. It makes a number of recommendations to policymakers, statutory services and Muslim communities, including: better and more informed outreach programmes to connect with young people; the need for greater investment in young people to develop their capacity and to create leaders and role models; and the need for initiatives that help bridge inter-generational gaps within the Muslim community. 

Sughra Ahmed is a Research Fellow in the Policy Research Centre of the Islamic Foundation. Her current area of research is exploring the migratory and settlement experiences of first generation Muslims in the UK. As well as this she has worked with a number of organisations to consider the issues young people face whilst growing up in the UK and the impact of this upon wider British communities and has recently published Seen and Not Heard: Voices of Young British Muslims. 

Sughra is a Trustee of the Interfaith Network UK, Director of the Leicester Council of Faiths and previously co-ordinated the Women in Faith interfaith project training British Muslim women to get involved in interfaith activity at a regional and national level. 

Sughra is also a trainer in Diversity and Cultural Awareness, mainly training personnel employed in the public sector on areas such as beliefs & practices, understanding women in the Muslim community, and contemporary debates within Islam. Sughra has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature and an MA in Islamic Studies. She regularly contributes to debates in the media.