British Muslims have remained on the margins of public and political debate about their religion and place in modern Britain for too long and the level of Muslim participation in media and politics remains woefully low. ENGAGE seeks to enable British Muslims to engage more effectively with political and media institutions and play a greater role in British politics and society by instilling confidence, competence and awareness. Enhancing mainstream participation by communities that are under-represented and vulnerable is an important step towards deepening and strengthening our democracy.

• ENGAGE will encourage voter registration and political engagement by British Muslims so that through civic involvement Muslims can responsibly exercise their duty in working for the common good

• ENGAGE aims to equip Muslims with the skills, resources and materials necessary for them to play a more active role in society. ENGAGE believes that all citizens have a responsibility to contribute to the positive and sustained development of a Britain in which all members of society are valued and respected whatever their religious, racial or ethnic background, gender or sexual orientation. ENGAGE endeavours to enable active citizenship and participation by British Muslims in furtherance of its aims to create a more inclusive and tolerant Britain

• ENGAGE aims to address the problem of high volumes of news content and coverage that maligns Islam and Muslims and foments Islamophobia in the UK and across Europe

• ENGAGE aims to work with Muslim and non Muslim organisations to ensure that anti-Muslim prejudice is regarded just as socially unacceptable as anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and xenophobia

• ENGAGE will provide free training seminars to British Muslims in the UK offering support and advice on why mainstream participation is important and how to go about getting involved

• ENGAGE aims to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from those more experienced in the media and politics to those members of the Muslim community who want to get involved but don’t know how or where to start

• ENGAGE endeavours to foster better ties between Muslim bloggers and encourage greater Muslim contributions to online debates and discussions as a means of strengthening democracy through the widening of participation and increasing the pool of Muslim contributors to public debates

• ENGAGE works to deepen democratic and civic engagement at the local level by encouraging greater participation by British Muslims in voluntary bodies and institutions such as parent-governor associations, friendship societies, NGOs and youth groups