5Pillars will be publishing a groundbreaking report on the views of British Muslim leaders and Islam later this month.
The research entitled “Normative Islam Report” was commissioned by 5Pillars in August 2015 and will be published on Wednesday 17th February 2016.
A survey consisting of 95 statements on Islamic beliefs grouped under 12 categories was carried out by independent market research company Pickersgill Consultancy & Planning (PCP).
150 influential British Muslims from a list of 352 took part in the survey. The list compiled by 5Pillars included scholars, academics and professionals belonging to a variety of theological, political and sectarian backgrounds.
The need to define “normative Islam”
Islam is the second largest religion in the UK with more than 3 million followers, and with this comes many challenges in the way Islam is understood by the wider non-Muslim population.
There has been an ongoing debate amongst British politicians and academics with regards to what constitutes “mainstream Islam”.
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Due to a number of misconceptions being irresponsibly disseminated by sections of the British media, mainstream politicians and far-right groups, a state of confusion over what is meant by “normative Islam” has arisen.
In the UK, numerous Islamic beliefs and practices are currently under the spotlight, in many cases, due to the blowback from geopolitical events occurring in the Muslim majority world.
Normative Islam Report
In response to this environment of ambiguity, 5Pillars commissioned this research in an attempt to establish what qualifies as the basic tenets of the Islamic faith, as understood by mainstream Muslim leaders.
The desired aim of this research is to provide a reference point for the media, academics and policymakers when discussing Islam.
5Pillars trusts that this report will assist in educating the wider British public to understand what mainstream Islam is.
The Normative Islam Report is not intended to be a definitive representation of the beliefs of mainstream Muslims, but to serve as an insight to what influential British Muslims consider as normative Islamic beliefs.
The report will be launched on Wednesday 17th February 2016 at a press conference at the London Muslim Centre.
Further details regarding the report will follow in the coming days.
