The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) was formally launched on 27 June 2006. The MINAB is an advisory and facilitatory body. It will facilitate self-regulation through getting consensus from members to develop quality standards, to which members will aspire towards. Its advisory role will be to provide guidance and build capacity of members to move towards achievement of the standards. It is an independent body which aims to work with and represent all Muslim traditions and schools of thought.

The first stage of creating the MINAB was a national consultation, which sought views on issues such as the accreditation of Imams, better governance of Mosques and interfaith activity. The information gained was used to develop and disseminate a good practice guide, setting out the principles and procedures that Mosques and Imams should follow to effectively lead their communities. However, there was concern that the consultation process had not been extensive enough and that the information obtained was not complete enough to assist.

Since its launch, the MINAB’s work has been undertaken through an interim steering group, comprising of representatives from the Al-Khoei Foundation, British Muslim Forum, Muslim Association of Britain and Muslim Council of Britain. The four organisations have achieved consensus on a Constitution for the MINAB and developed a draft framework of core minimum standards for those who become its members. Membership of the MINAB is open to all mosques and Muslim educational and training establishments.