Who we are

Around one in five Salford undergraduates is Muslim. ISOC exists so that being one of them is easy: somewhere to pray, people to pray with, and someone to ask when you don’t know who to ask.

Twenty per cent in 2021–22, and forty-five per cent in Salford Business School, from the University’s own EDI annual report (page 12). It is the most recent breakdown the University has published.

We work alongside the University Faith Centre, which runs the prayer hall and issues the timetable, and the Students’ Union, which holds our membership and ticketing. On top of that we do the society bit: the halaqas, the sport, the charity work, the iftars, and the endless answering of “where’s the prayer room?” in September.

What we run

• Prayer on campus. Working with the Faith Centre on the prayer hall, Jumu’ah sittings, and making sure people can find the place.
• Weekly circles. Qur’an and halaqas for brothers and for sisters, at every level, all year.
• Ramadan. Daily iftars funded by donations, alongside the Faith Centre’s extended hours and taraweeh.
• Charity. Fundraising through the year, and Charity Week alongside ISOCs across the country.
• Sport and socials. Football, gym sessions, food, and the annual dinner.
• Welfare and advocacy. Speaking up for Muslim students to the University and the SU when something needs saying.

If you experience Islamophobia

The University has its own written definition of Islamophobia, adopted in November 2024 and launched during Islamophobia Awareness Month. Student officers and the Students’ Union worked on it with the University’s EDI team, and the SU adopted it too. That work was not ours, but every Muslim student at Salford benefits from it: when you report something there is now a written standard to point at rather than an argument about whether it counts.

Report it at Report It. It covers hate incidents and racism, and you can either ask for an advisor to contact you or report it anonymously. You do not have to give your name to put something on record.

You can also tell us. We will do nothing you haven’t asked for, and we keep no record, but you shouldn’t have to sit with it on your own.

Everyone is welcome

You don’t have to be a member to come to anything. You don’t have to be Muslim to come to most of it. If you’re curious about Islam, new to it, or returning to it after a while away, nobody will interrogate you. Come and say salaam.