Impact case study database

Siddiqui’s research into Muslim-Christian relations has received international acclaim for its unique contribution to policy change and public debate. A Times Literary Supplement reviewer wrote that Siddiqui ‘deserves recognition as one of the most imaginative leaders of contemporary Islamic thought’ (5.1). Acknowledging her reputation as a balanced and incisive academic, the UK government in 2016 appointed Siddiqui chair of its Home Office review into the practices of sharia councils (5.2). The first review of its kind, this was established in response to claims that some sharia councils were ruling in ways that deprived women of their rights under UK law. Siddiqui’s selection for this role was subsequently covered across UK broadsheets.

In 2018, the Sharia Review published its findings (5.3). Despite an open letter in which 200 signatories criticised the bias of the review body and predicted a ‘whitewash’ (5.4), the analysis and recommendations of the Review proved robust and challenging. The key legislative change proposed was that sharia marriages be registered under UK civil law, thus following Siddiqui’s argument about the religious obligation to abide by the laws of the civic community. The report was quickly welcomed by the Daily Telegraph as providing a ‘landmark’ (5.5) and its findings were endorsed by several commentators. Its recommendations received widespread press coverage (5.5). Writing in The Spectator, Tim Wyatt referred to the ‘damning Home Office report by Professor Mona Siddiqui [which] identified “discriminatory practices” in the system and called for much tougher regulation of sharia councils’ (5.5). The intense discussion over the relationship between Islamic and UK civil law also coincided with high-profile comments from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, whose 2018 book, Re-Imagining Britain, rejected sharia in the UK.

Following the recommendation of the report (5.3 p18), the Home Office has since implemented an awareness campaign aimed at educating Muslim women as to the differences between Islamic and civil marriage. In 2019 the Council of Europe endorsed the Review, calling for new legislation that requires UK Muslim couples to register marriages prior to or during Islamic ceremonies (5.6). The findings of the Review subsequently persuaded the Home Office to back the independent Register our Marriage Campaign (ROM) which has the dual aim of raising awareness of the lack of legal protection for unregistered marriages and reforming the 1949 Marriage Act to require the civil registering of all religious marriages; this resulted in government funding for one of the ROM campaigns (5.7). In October 2019, the UK government indicated that it was still considering the legal reforms recommended by the Review.

Siddiqui’s public platform has grown extensively through her broadcasting and popular writing. This is evident in her regular contributions to the BBC and other media outlets. These activities have enabled her to enrich and shift public understanding of Islam in the UK. In recent years, she has steadfastly condemned extremism through interviews and newspaper articles (5.8). Her inclusion on regular radio programmes, including BBC Radio 4’s ‘Moral Maze’, also testifies to the value of her input on a range of issues beyond strictly religious matters. She is the only Muslim – and sole academic – who is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio Scotland’s and BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ (TFTD) which attracts a weekly audience exceeding 7,000,000 (5.9). After a TFTD discussion on homosexuality, Siddiqui received the following email: ‘I’m now crying as I type this. It’s so hard being both Muslim and gay – trying to be faithful to my belief and who I am … Your words were so beautiful and I hope they have an impact wider than little old me who is trying to keep it together in the kitchen while I get ready for my first day back at work after the summer holidays. Thank you so much – please keep on talking – this country needs people like you’ (5.10). The crime writer Val McDermid tweeted to her 39,321 followers in September 2016: ‘If one person justifies the existence of @BBCRadio4 Thought For The Day, it's the brilliant balanced @monasiddiqui7’(5.10).

Her core role in promoting ecumenical relations was recognised by the Church of England in 2019 when she was granted a Lambeth Award; the citation described her as one of the UK’s ‘most eloquent and articulate advocates for interfaith dialogue and a most cogent commentator on current affairs, religion and public life’ (5.11). Further, Siddiqui has become a go-to figure in times of national crisis. She was invited onto TFTD the day following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, as well as on the 10th anniversary of 9/11; her TFTD in the wake of Charlie Hebdo was reproduced in several newspapers (5.12).