Posted 6 February 2025

I was unfamiliar with the term ‘Muslim Friendly University’ until I heard about the Muslim Friendly University Conference that was recently hosted at the University of York.  

The event, which was organised by the Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education (YCEDE) and the Aziz Foundation, explored the nuanced challenges faced by Muslim students and staff in Higher Education (HE), and aimed to find ways to improve the experiences of British Muslims in HE. 

Reflecting on my experience of being a Muslim student in HE, I realised there is much to be done to make HE truly Muslim Friendly for students and staff. The challenges I faced included lack of Halal hot food on campus (cold Halal sandwiches were the norm); exams in Ramadan when I was fasting; and lack of alcohol-free social events.  

I attended the Conference in the hope that things had changed since I was a HE student. I discuss some of its key themes below. 

More research is needed 

The conference was opened by Prof Tracy Lightfoot (Pro-Vice Chancellor for Teaching, Learning and Students, University of York) who referred to Born in Bradford. This is a longitudinal study into Bradford and perhaps the most well-known research of its kind. It found that mosques and madrassas can help to promote health in children by recognising the role of Muslim faith settings.

We also heard from researchers at University of Bradford about their 2025 research on countering Islamophobia on campus. As part of their talk, attendees were asked to work in groups to conceive ideas for Muslim-friendly campuses. I had the honour of acting as Vice Chancellor to select which idea to take forwards. I chose staff training so it does not fall to Muslims to educate others (a short term/quick win) but also future proofing through having prayer spaces/facilities planned into new buildings.  

Challenges identifying and reaching students 

Continuing the research theme, we heard about ongoing research at De Montfort University on the experiences of first year Muslims. The presenters mentioned the limited channels to reach these students e.g. not every Muslim student will join an Islamic Society. There are also data challenges. Ethnicity data is available but it is hard to access information about faith.  

This data challenge was alluded to in a keynote speech by Prof Paul Wakeling (Dean of York Graduate Research School). He observed that faith data existed on Advance HE’s website but it had to be collated as it is stored in multiple places.  

Muslim friendly benefits everyone 

Some practical examples for HE institutions benefit everyone. Examples included alcohol-free events or alcohol-free tables at events, which also benefit people who are teetotal, and having a prayer space within a wellbeing room that can be used by other students and staff to mediate.  

These examples show we have to start somewhere, however small, otherwise we will not act at all. 

Conclusion 

Thanks to YCEDE and Aziz Foundation for organising this free conference and providing an opportunity to gain insights on what does and does not work. It was also good to network with people, including individuals drawn from Go Higher West Yorkshire’s (GHWY) 13 HE partners.

We will be using insights from the conference to inform the development of a transition pack for Black Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Students that includes helping Muslim students specifically. 

 

Tahera Mayat, GHWY Collaborative Outreach Officer