Young Muslim Organisation (YMO) is an Islamic youth-oriented initiative based in England. It was established mainly by the British Bangladeshi youths in

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

during the period of racial attacks in Tower Hamlets in 1978. The group first met in London in October 1978 to bring together what its website describes as "a dynamic band of youth who would respond to the challenges faced by their community with deep faith, true commitment and a positive and comprehensive work plan". Its

dawah Dawah ( ar, دعوة, lit=invitation, ) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is ''da‘wāt'' (دَعْوات) or ''da‘awāt'' (دَعَوات). Etymology The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic ...

work includes ''School Link Project'' (SLP), ''College Link Project'' (CLP) and ''University Link Project'' (ULP) which organise activities such as lectures, seminars, awards ceremonies, camps, and sports activities. Authors such as Brian Belton and Sadek Hamid describe the group as catering for and run by young people of Bangladeshi origin. It is a competitor to another Islamic youth work group,

The Young Muslims UK The Young Muslims UK (YMUK) was established in Leeds in 1984 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009. It became the youth wing of the Islamic Society of Britain (ISB) in 1990 with an aim to "provide a vehicle for committed young British Muslim ...

. The two groups have minimal differences but the Young Muslim Organisation has a more conservative interpretation of

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

and

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and e ...

. According to a former activist, Ed Husain, YMO was founded by supporters of Abul A'la Maududi and Hassan al-Banna, and its early members were encouraged to follow their works. Husain describes the organisation as being structured in a hierarchy with ordinary members at the bottom, followed by pillar members, and the National Executive Committee of the YMO at the top. Ordinary members become pillar after years of activities and proving one's loyalty when they take a vow and swearing allegiance to the leadership. At least when Husain was a member in the early 1990s,

East London Mosque The East London Mosque (ELM) is situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets between Whitechapel and Aldgate East. Combined with the adjoining London Muslim Centre and Maryam Centre, it is one of the largest mosques in Europe accommodating ...

was a YMO stronghold from which the organisation was working to spread. Members were expected to an account of their daily activities (how many hours they spent on prayer, reciting the Quran, reading hadith and other Islamic books, etc.) reporting their achievements at the YMO weekly meeting.

Notes and references

Islamic organisations based in the United Kingdom Islamist groups 1978 establishments in the United Kingdom Islamic organizations established in 1978 {{Islam-org-stub