Birmingham Hub

The Situation

Birmingham is the largest city in the UK outside of London and the seventh most deprived local authority in England. 

More Muslims live in Birmingham than in any other local authority, making up 30% of its population. There is a strong link between deprivation and high Muslim population areas, with six of the 10 most deprived wards in the city having a Muslim majority. In these circumstances, levels of engagement in creative activity are inevitably low as a result of financial and other barriers which Amal has documented in consultation with Muslim communities.

Birmingham is even more ethnically diverse than London and this diversity is reflected in its Muslim communities. National and international media portrayals of Muslims in Birmingham often misrepresent them, making the structural inequalities they face harder to overcome.  But the shared pride Muslims and non-Muslims felt in their city at the time of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games provides a foundation for growing opportunities for Muslims in Birmingham to realise their creative potential and to change the narrative about themselves and their place in the city.

Our Response

We established Birmingham as an Amal hub location in 2021 to enable us to work to build a community of practice in the city that ensures Muslims are fully represented in the artistic and cultural life of Birmingham as artists and as communities.

We do this by consulting Muslim communities closely; connecting communities with artists and arts organisations to grow creative opportunities; enabling communities to visualise the creativity they want to explore through taster activities; supporting high-quality arts projects that are co-created by Muslims and creative professionals and showcased within the wider community; and convening our stakeholders to share learning and good practice and build mutual trust and understanding. It is through your donations that Amal is able to continue this important work.