A Keighley-based campaigner said some Muslim communities in Britain still feature very few women in positions of authority.
Aisha Ali Khan was responding to a new report called “Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All”, the result of a commission sponsored by Citizens UK.
This study says more must be done to help Muslims fulfil their potential to benefit society.
Miss Khan said: “The report makes references to the barriers Muslim women face in terms of their participation in public life. In particular, clan politics have been singled out as a key factor that ‘stifles progress’.
“This isn’t something new or unusual. Many people involved in local politics where there’s a large population of Muslims have always cited this as an issue for both women and young people.
“Of course, becoming active in local politics in not the only aspect of public life that’s open to British Muslims, there are many other ways in which we can participate.
“We need to actively promote civic participation as a positive and integral aspect of the pathway to greater integration into mainstream British society, especially for women, who are sadly under-represented and in some cases entirely absent in some positions of power in non-Muslim communities as well as Muslim communities.”