British Muslim creators ‘herded’ into Prevent funding, says Equi think tank

A major report by a new think tank has found that British Muslims are important “cultural producers” – but that Muslim creatives are often “herded” into receiving counter-extremism related funding.

Equi, which describes itself as a “think tank that was born out of the UK Muslim community”, launched its report on “UK Arts and Culture and the role of British Muslims” in parliament on Wednesday.

The packed event was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims.

It featured talks by the APPG’s co-chair Labour MP Sarah Owen, its vice-chair Labour MP Afzal Khan and former Conservative Party chair Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.

Professor Javed Khan, Equi’s managing director, told parliamentarians and civil society figures at the launch that the think tank is “seeing engagement” from the Labour government, including ministers and special advisers.

“It doesn’t mean anything until serious change happens,” he added.

“The government needs to be faith literate in its policy development. Our report is about articulating why.”

The report, authored by Dr Muhammad Gulbar Khan, argues that British Muslims are “transitioning from cultural consumers to cultural producers in a global marketplace in which the global halal food and Muslim lifestyle market is at least $3.7 trillion”.

“The British Muslim cultural sector brings influences, connections, histories and a cultural capital that understands and intersects across large parts of our world,” it argues.

Singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, wrote in the foreword that Muslim cultural activities face challenges “such as severe funding cuts and reductions in arts funding, which threaten cultural institutions”.

Significantly, the report warns that Muslim creatives are often “herded” into receiving funding from the contentious Prevent counter-extremism programme which “often toxifies, devalues and limits artistic intent”.

“Artists who receive Prevent funding often feel uncertain about the limits imposed on their creative expression,” the report finds.

It urges the government to “repurpose funding to eliminate negative perceptions”, to create a working group to support Muslim creatives and to ensure that they “can exercise their artistic freedom without fear of censure”.

‘Driver of winning hearts and minds’

Bafta-winning British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi addressed the event, which featured a screening of trailers for her films The Teacher and The Present, both set in the occupied West Bank.

Nabulsi told the crowd that although The Teacher, released in 2023, won several international awards, she was unable to find a British distributor for it, with some saying they liked the film but feared the potential backlash if they distributed it.

Sarah Owen, a Labour MP and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, told MEE: “It was a privilege to host an insightful event in parliament highlighting the significant contributions British Muslims make to the arts and culture sector.

‘The government needs to be faith literate in its policy development’

 – Professor Javed Khan, Equi

“Beyond arts and culture, British Muslim communities positively impact society through their contributions in healthcare, education, business, the charity sector, and much more – efforts that are often overlooked and underrepresented.”

Equi’s Professor Javed Khan told MEE: “It was great to see such a fantastic turnout today of parliamentarians from across the houses [of parliament], stakeholders and community leaders at Equi’s parliamentary launch, hosted by the APPG on British Muslims.

“Our groundbreaking report emphasised a critical reality: arts and culture should not be an afterthought,” he added. “They are the fundamental driver of winning hearts and minds.

“We must continue to work together to ensure policymakers, industry leaders, and creatives alike recognise that supporting British Muslim artists is not about representation alone, but about unlocking a flourishing of talent, innovation and economic growth that strengthens the UK as a whole.”