Life as a Muslim at Birmingham

When I first started university, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Being a Muslim is a core part of my identity and it was scary entering a world contrary to that, as I knew I wasn’t willing to compromise my lifestyle or beliefs to "fit in" at university. You hear a lot about the heavy drinking and party culture and that being the “uni life” but that’s just one experience and it does not have to be yours. Birmingham has such a diverse community where I have never felt out of place for being visibly Muslim as I wear the hijab (headscarf). I actually found it to be the opposite and more empowering if anything, as there is a much smaller community in my home town.

Prayer Spaces

One of the most important things to me is being able to perform my five daily prayers. Being on campus for a lot of the day means I have to rely on campus prayer spaces but the university makes this pretty easy. There are multiple prayer rooms spread across campus so there’s always one within a couple minutes walk but the main ones are the Guild, University Centre, Engineering Building, and Medical School. They’re clean and have separate areas for brothers and sisters.

What I really appreciate for these particular spaces is that they’re not tucked away as just an afterthought, but signposted and respected. Whether you want to pray, reflect or even just take a breather during a hectic day, they’re perfect. One thing to note however is that only the Guild has a designated Wudu area, but there are multiple private toilets on campus where you can perform Wudu if needs be. I always carry a portable prayer mat in my bag and so if ever I’ve been caught in a too-short break between lectures, I have simply prayed in a quiet corner. I have never found anyone to have a problem with me praying publicly and have felt perfectly able to do so without fear of discrimination.

Halal Food

One of the best things about being in Birmingham is that halal food is quite literally everywhere. On campus, you can find halal options in most places including the street-food vendors (burgers, gyros etc.), University Centre and the main food court just underneath this. There’s even halal meal deals in Spar which you can find in either University Centre or the Guild. Venture a little beyond campus down to the Bristol Road and your options multiply – peri peri chicken, kebab spots, and even halal Japanese (at Yakinori, my absolute fave!!). There’s also loads of great places that deliver so your options are pretty much endless.

If you’re planning to live on or near campus and want to cut costs and cook at home, Sainsbury’s in Selly Oak Retail Park is probably the closest place to get halal meat but there’s also so many halal butchers dotted around so just have a quick Google. 

Islamic Society & Muslim Community

ISOC has a bit of everything: socials, charity events, sports and weekly reminders. If you’re a fresher and looking for ways to make new friends, without falling into haram, ISOC is definitely the way to do that with it’s members coming from all walks of life. They run so many events during freshers weeks and are a great way to get involved and meet some new people; you can also join the group chats before you even come to the University.

ISOC is active throughout the whole year with events like DIW (Discover Islam Week) and Charity Week being key highlights. I’ve met some life-long friends through it and will forever be grateful to ISOC for being the space I did. Regardless of how involved you get, you see familiar faces in the prayer rooms, get Salaams on your walk to lectures and are always welcome to the brother/sisterhood.

Ramadan on Campus

Experiencing Ramadan at University is a new and somewhat daunting experience; you’re away from home for the first time and you haven’t just got your mum in the kitchen frying up samosas and serving up mouthwatering dishes. It’s important to remember that everyone’s in the same boat and will also be searching for that familiarity.

ISOC hosts free iftars every night of Ramadan and a community iftar which is so much fun; there’s a different menu every night and collabs with different societies during this. They also hold taraweeh prayers on campus every day too so that if you do live on campus and want to attend, you never have to travel far and feel unsafe. There’s such a buzz at all of these events that creates a strong sense of community which make it that much easier and more comfortable.

Balancing Faith and Student Life

Balancing academics, prayers and keeping yourself alive isn’t always smooth sailing. There’ve been times where I’ve prayed in empty rooms, rushed to get food before Maghrib or skipped out on plans because I just needed some quiet time - and that’s okay. What’s helped me most is learning to plan around my prayers and making my routine something that’s non-negotiable. Although there might be badly-worded questions or strange looks, sometimes people are just scared or curious and would usually just want to know more; in these scenarios, I recommend you just have a conversation because sometimes, that's all it takes to clear up misconceptions. If people aren’t willing to learn, that’s a different story and that’s life - not everyone has to be your friend.

You meet a lot of different characters at University, some will just be passers-by, some will be a teaching moment and others might be life-long friends. Take it as it comes and appreciate the lessons learnt from everyone you come across.

Final Thoughts

Being a Muslim at the University of Birmingham doesn’t mean being an outsider. It means being part of a wider, welcoming community where faith is respected and supported. Whether it's knowing you can catch your prayers on campus, grab a decent halal meal or connect with others, the experience has been one that I will always be grateful for. You don’t have to choose between your faith and your education and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.