About Us

The 1st Ethical Charitable Trust is dedicated to encouraging social and religious cohesion in the UK by promoting a distinct British Muslim identity which on the one hand, is faithful to traditional Islamic orthodoxy whilst on the other, is also in tune with British cultural norms and values. We believe successfully articulating this reality to both British Muslims and to mainstream society is one of the greatest and more pressing challenges facing us all today.

Historically, we have tried to achieve this vision by developing Shari’ah-compliant solutions to common legal and financial challenges facing British Muslims (such as paying Zakah on contemporary assets, or preparing a Islamic Will valid under English Law). We have widened our remit to also focus on encouraging both local civic engagement as well as increased political participation; we view these three strands as central to the development of a substantive and viable British Muslim identity, which in turn will strengthen and benefit our mainstream society.

The 1st Ethical Charitable Trust is entirely funded by donations from British based (non-governmental) individuals and companies.