Gary R Bunt (UK Team and Website data analysis)
Anna Grasso (UK Team and Website data analysis)

This archive is part of the Digital Islam Across Europe project’s collection. One of the DigitIslam project outputs focuses on website data and collection analysis. The objective is to identify, catalogue and analyse Muslim organisations’ and actors’ websites (Online Islamic Environments or OIEs) from these different countries.1

This compilation showcases websites of Islamic organisations located in the United Kingdom that actively advocate for the rights of Muslims in both national and international arenas. This is especially the case with regard to issues tied to Islamophobia and anti-Muslim prejudice as well as campaigns addressing Palestine-related issues (especially since the recent events – see our blog post on that).

Some of these organisations are more focused around British politics. We have initiatives that promote the participation of Muslims within political parties such as the now defunct “Islamic Party of Britain” but also groups associated with the two principal parties in the UK (Conservative & Labour). More recently a website was launched to encourage Muslim engagement in elections (“The Muslim Vote”).

The Muslim Vote website

We also listed four influential Muslim international organisations with a very active online presence: “CAGE International”, “Islamic Human Rights Commission” (IHRC), “Muslim engagement and development” (MEND), and “Muslim Public Affairs Committee” (MPACUK). They mobilise both on the field and online to defend various causes which often transcend their religious affiliation. MEND has also launched two initiatives/websites focused on the issue of Islamophobia: Islamophobia Response Unit and Islamophobia Awareness Month.

Islamophobia Response Unit website

These organisations also gather instances of discrimination against Muslims, as seen with “Prevent Watch”, and offer support, such as “Tell MAMA UK”. Certain groups, like “FOSIS”, concentrate on youth, while others, such as “Strive UK”, have a specific focus on women.

Prevent Watch website

This archive consists of an initial capture. We will be updating this list in due course. We believe this data can become a useful tool for researchers and the general public who have an interest in digital Islam across Europe as well as those who are mostly focused on the study of Islam or comparative religion within the British or Western context. Moreover, the analysis of these sites will be part of a wider project output through presentations and publications.

  1. For more information on this: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/digitalislameurope/research-findings/archiving/ back

Image by Martin Foskett from Pixabay

Share