London, EDITOR.ID,- The Special Branch Leadership of Muhammadiyah (PCIM) in the United Kingdom and Ireland was the only Indonesian representative to attend the forum organized by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) at the University of East London on Saturday (July 18, 2026).
As reported by EDITOR.ID correspondent assigned to the United Kingdom, Yusfi Wawan Septriadi, the forum titled the National Muslim Mental Health Summit brought together more than 400 participants, including British Muslim organizations, mental health practitioners, policymakers, and community-based mental health service organizations from across the United Kingdom to discuss solutions to the mental health challenges faced by Muslims in England.
The agenda includes workshops on neurodiversity, funding support for service providers like the Muslim Youth Helpline, and technology and policy solutions to bridge the gap in access to services.
The event also marked the launch of the first online directory bringing together mental health providers and services for Muslims in the UK.
The data presented shows the extent of the gap. Of the four million Muslims in the UK, only 2.6 percent of those referred to NHS Talking Therapies in 2021–22 completed treatment.
A Muslim Youth Helpline survey of more than 1,000 Muslims aged 16–30 found that only 13 percent of respondents with mental health needs had ever seen a counselor.
Meanwhile, MCB Secretary-General Dr. Wajid Akhter stated that the scale of the mental health crisis facing British Muslims has outstripped the current response. He called for funding commensurate with the need, real collaboration between mosques, charities, clinicians, and technology developers, and policies that prioritize Muslim mental health.
The Chair of the PCIM of Great Britain and Ireland, Ince Dian Aprilyani Azir, said that mental health issues need to be given greater space in discussions among Muslim communities, including in Indonesia.
“Today I learned a lot about mental health, not only from a religious perspective, but also based on comprehensive data and research results,” he said, Monday (20/07).
He added that Muhammadiyah’s presence in cross-community forums like this is part of an effort to expand the organization’s da’wah network and contributions internationally.
The Muslim Council of Britain is the largest Muslim umbrella organization in the UK with over 500 members, encompassing mosques, schools, charities, and professional networks. ***
