”Isolated” Muslims in Oxford ”must be integrated”

Isolated groups of Muslims holding meetings in the city away from mainstream mosques must be ‘brought back to the table’ to improve integration, it has been claimed. Former Lord Mayor of Oxford Mohammed Altaf-Khan called for an advisory board to bring the community together following an 18-month national inquiry examining how the participation of Muslims […]

Isolated groups of Muslims holding meetings in the city away from mainstream mosques must be ‘brought back to the table’ to improve integration, it has been claimed.

Former Lord Mayor of Oxford Mohammed Altaf-Khan called for an advisory board to bring the community together following an 18-month national inquiry examining how the participation of Muslims in public and community life might be improved.

The inquiry by campaigning group Citzens UK and chaired by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve recommended that mosques hire British-born Imams who speak fluent English and understand the British culture.

Mr Altaf-Khan said many city mosques were already doing this but warned ‘isolated groups’ of Muslims needed to be brought back to the table. 

He added: “There are some very isolated groups, who in a nutshell have different views, and that’s why they don’t integrate and meet away from the mainstream mosques.

“We need to set up an advisory board bringing Imams, scholars and policymakers together and we need to bring those isolated groups back to the table.” (The Oxford Times)