Muslim Institute

13/08/2026

The 2026 Muslim Institute Ibn Rushd Annual lecture was delivered by Rana Dasgupta, author of acclaimed new book ‘After Nations: The Making and Unmaking of a New World Order’ at the Artworkers’ Guild central hall, Bloomsbury, central London.

Watch Rana's keynote: 'After Nations: Belonging'.

The Muslim Institute 11th Ibn Rushd lecture: 'After Nations: Belong...

07/08/2026

The Muslim Institute has formally launched a new and significant expansion of our Community Empowerment Fund, and opened the first strand for grant applications.

A new dedicated Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) web page is now live. The page includes a simple on-line form for grant applications, advice on who is eligible to apply, what kind of projects we are looking to fund, grant criteria and other guidance.

Applications for the Community Wellbeing strand are open, and close midday Wednesday 30th September 2026. The successful applicants will be announced at our Winter Gathering at the end of November.

The Community Empowerment Fund was created in 2023 to resource grassroots work that aligns with our mission. Grants of £5,000–£20,000 are available.

05/08/2026

The Muslim Institute has formally launched a new and significant expansion of our Community Empowerment Fund, and opened the first strand for grant applications.

A new dedicated Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) web page is now live. The page includes a simple on-line form for grant applications, advice on who is eligible to apply, what kind of projects we are looking to fund, grant criteria and other guidance.

Applications for the Community Wellbeing strand are open, and close midday Wednesday 30th September 2026. The successful applicants will be announced at our Winter Gathering at the end of November. Please do check out the page and see if your project might be eligible.

The Community Empowerment Fund was created in 2023 to resource grassroots work that aligns with our mission. Grants of £5,000–£20,000 are available.

05/08/2026

The Muslim Institute has published a new report: 'Birmingham’s Muslims - Conversations on grassroots community and change: An analytical overview' by Humera Khan. You can download it now from our website

04/08/2026

The Muslim Institute has formally launched a new and significant expansion of our Community Empowerment Fund, and opened the first strand for grant applications.

A new dedicated Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) web page is now live. The page includes a simple on-line form for grant applications, advice on who is eligible to apply, what kind of projects we are looking to fund, grant criteria and other guidance.

Applications for the Community Wellbeing strand are open, and close midday Wednesday 30th September 2026. The successful applicants will be announced at our Winter Gathering at the end of November.

The Community Empowerment Fund was created in 2023 to resource grassroots work that aligns with our mission. Grants of £5,000–£20,000 are available.

27/07/2026

Humera Khan of the An-Nisa Society has written an excellent new report for the Muslim Institute: ‘Birmingham’s Muslims - Conversations on grassroots community and change: An analytical overview’.

This new research report captures the experiences, perspectives and emerging issues affecting Birmingham’s diverse Muslim communities, with particular attention to voices that are often underrepresented in policy discussions and internal Muslim debates.

It has been produced as a standalone study but is also an insightful and valuable underpinning to the Muslim Institute’s newly launched Community Empowerment Fund (CEF). Download from the CEF page:

The Community Empowerment Fund was created in 2023 to resource grassroots work that aligns with our mission. Grants of £5,000–£20,000 are available.

27/07/2026

The Muslim Institute has launched it's new £100,000 Community Empowerment Fund.

Over the next three to five years, we will be accepting applications across three streams: community wellbeing, young people, and civil liberties.

Stream One — Community Wellbeing, with a focus on mental health — is now open. Grants of £5,000 to £20,000. The deadline for applicants is the end of September. Successful applicants will be announced at our Annual Winter Gathering at the end of November in Salisbury. Streams Two and Three follow in 2027 and 2028.

Please check out our website, with guidance and a simple online application form.

The Community Empowerment Fund was created in 2023 to resource grassroots work that aligns with our mission. Grants of £5,000–£20,000 are available.

24/07/2026

24/07/2026

Photos from Monday 21st July's 11th Muslim Institute annual Ibn Rushd lecture.

Author Rana Dasgupta delivered an excellent lecture on 'After Nations: Belonging' followed by a lively and thoughtful Q&A with the capacity audience.

The evening also saw the public launch of the new £100,000 Muslim Institute Community Empowerment Fund introduced by deputy chair of trustees Asim Siddiqu,i and an accompanying landmark report on Muslims in Birmingham by Humera Khan, commissioned by the Muslim Institute.

Photos: Rehan Jamil.

13/07/2026

The Muslim Institute 11th Ibn Rushd lecture. 'After Nations: Belonging' delivered by Rana Dasgupta.

Date: July 21, 2026 from 5:30PM to 9PM,
Venue: The Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT. (nearest tube Russell Sq).

Includes book-signing and hot buffet. Places in advance only. Register at the link below.

We face a crisis of belonging. Nations that once provided a meaningful sense of home are now failing to do so. Into the void pour sectarianism, mistrust and hatred – which only exacerbate the sense of anomie.

How do we break this cycle? In this lecture, Rana Dasgupta returns to the work of the great philosopher Ibn Rushd, or Averroes (1126-98) in order to find a different principle for modern life, society and politics. He shows how ideas developed in medieval Andalus can help us heal the era of fake news and weaponised knowledge.

Until recently, the system of nation states appeared settled and eternal. Not anymore. As American hegenomy unwinds and Western countries slide into anxiety and debt, there is a resurgence of tyranny, imperialism and war. It is no longer clear that states can continue delivering 'normal' services, let alone defeat inequality and climate change. What can be done to restore a sense of belonging to us all?

At The Art Workers' Guild , July 21, 2026 from 5:30PM to 9PM. RSVP today!