Lived experiences and improved futures for Muslim students, doctoral researchers and staff at Loughborough University

Muslims in UK higher education are a ‘distinctive minority’ (Guest et al. 2020, p. 22) due to their high degree of identification as religious and a high level of engagement with religious practices. Because of unmet needs relating to religious identities, obligations and practices, combined with experiences of stereotyping, microaggressions and Islamophobia, Muslims in higher education are experiencing forms of social exclusion that undermine their equitable citizenship in academia. This research report examines the lived experiences of Muslim students, doctoral researchers (DRs) and staff at Loughborough University (LU). It also puts forward recommendations about how university policies, practices, services and cultures can best meet the needs of Muslim members of the LU community. The research evidence discussed in this report is based on an online survey of undergraduate students (UG), postgraduate taught students (PGT) and doctoral researchers (DRs) at LU, and online focus groups with UG/PGT students, DRs, and academic and professional staff at LU. The key findings of the report include: • Generally, students, DRs and staff who identify as Muslim feel both welcome and included at LU’s two campuses in the Midlands and London. • They are particularly appreciative of the faith-oriented facilities, services and support groups available at the university, including the formal prayer facilities in the Edward Herbert Building (EHB) on the Midland campus. • The Islamic Society (ISOC) is very important for students at LU who identify as Muslim. For some, ISOC is the only platform that offers a safe and inclusive environment for socialisation, friendship and networking. • Despite their overall positive attitudes and lived experiences of Muslim-identifying members of the LU community, research participants also raised issues that create real barriers to participation, inclusion and belonging. • While existing prayer facilities in EHB meet basic needs, the room standards (e.g., heating; carpet on which prayer is performed) can be improved. The size of the prayer room at the London campus is too small. Participants also need access to more localised prayer rooms (e.g., in Schools/Departments) due to logistical challenges (time and distance) in reaching EHB for set prayer times between lectures, meetings, etc. • More awareness and increased literacy are needed among non-Muslim members of the LU community about Islam and the everyday needs and practices of Muslim students, DRs and staff. This would facilitate understanding across those who identify with different religious faiths as well as those who identify as secular and contribute to breaking down everyday barriers and stereotypes that Muslim students, DRs and staff experience. • University cultures and practices involving food and alcohol consumption are dominant themes relating to social exclusion of Muslim-identifying students, DRs and staff. • Activities and cultures that centre on alcohol consumption during Freshers’ Week, in student housing and hall life, and in student clubs and societies, marginalise and exclude Muslim students from taking part. Staff activities and cultures that include alcohol impact on the participation and inclusion of Muslim DRs and staff. • Muslim students, DRs and staff reported challenges in consuming food on campus during events and in university food outlets due to the limited availability of halal food options and the lack of clear food labelling. • While most of the research participants feel a sense of inclusion and belonging at the university, perceptions of inclusion and belonging were often conditional and layered, shaped both by dominant socio-cultural norms and individual effort. This suggested a surface-level of inclusion, rather than a deeper, sustained acceptance and inclusion at institutional and individual levels. Being a ‘quiet and good Muslim’ was seen as both expected and required to be met with ‘tolerance’. Often, our participants did not feel recognised or acknowledged by university communications. • Although most participants described LU as a welcoming and supporting university, they also spoke about subtle forms of exclusion which shaped how safe and comfortable they felt on campus. These experiences included marginalisation, microaggressions, stereotyping, racialisation and forms of identity management that point to more complex, layered perceptions of belonging and inclusion. • Evidence-based recommendations and examples of existing good practice are listed in Chapter 5.<p></p>