Islamic-based educational leadership in UK higher education: Balancing securitization, marketization and Islamic values

This chapter contributes to the ongoing debate around the growth and development of Islamic-based educational institutions in Western contexts. Specifically, it focuses on Islamic-based higher education institutions (IHEIs) within a British setting, with particular emphasis placed on analyzing the impact of changing policy frameworks on the possible development of accredited and validated institutions. This is a theoretical discussion based on questions raised from practice; the analysis draws on existing literature and publicly available secondary data. Firstly, it contextualizes Islamic-based higher education provision into a British socio-political milieu of securitization and marketization. Secondly, the analysis focuses on dilemmas of leading and managing programs within the accredited and validated competitive sector of Islamic-based higher education in England. Finally, the chapter suggests a concept of tafakkur, ‘reflexive deliberation’ to question the complexity of what is ‘Islamic’ within a context of higher education that is underpinned by securitization and driven by marketization. In doing so, it argues that not only the professional guidelines should be regarded in evaluating quality of IHEIs but the Islamic moral values should also form an integral part of the underpinning cultural environment, collaborations and quality criteria that leaders in these institutions need to develop and promote.