The decision by the University of Wales to sever its ties with an Islamic college because of its alleged links to the radical cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi should be welcomed alike by the Government, academics and Muslim leaders in Britain. One of the most sensitive areas exposed by the discovery of extremist networks in Britain is the question of Muslim education: what is being taught in mosques and seminaries and how qualified are the imams influencing the thinking of young British Muslims? It is now clear that this is an area where official ignorance and naive neglect have led to a dangerously unsatisfactory situation.

The European Institute of Human Sciences, like many similar colleges, opened with no inspection, little formal validation and with questionable links to radical individuals and organisations abroad. Those they train inspire neither the respect of mainstream Islam nor the trust of the non-Muslim majority.

The main problem is the shortage of qualified imams. There are about 1,200 mosques in Britain. They need not only trained spiritual leaders to conduct daily prayers but men of recognised scholarship, whose authority plays a key role in the guardianship and transmission of Islam. Only about 200 graduates emerge each year from the traditional private Muslim seminaries, institutions that accept boys at the age of 13 and train them for at least ten years in a broad range of Islamic subjects as well as those prescribed by the national curriculum.

As a result, many communities import unsuitable imams from overseas, often from Pakistan. Though willing to accept low wages, many have poor English, little experience of Western life and a propensity to espouse militancy. Last year, in consultation with Muslim leaders, the Government barred those without a proper command of English. Now it wants also to bar extremists. Muslim scholars would also like to see the disqualification of those who, while appearing fluent in English, have a poor theological grasp, and whose teachings may do just as much harm with a warped interpretation of their religion.

Only a handful of colleges, including the respected Muslim College in London, offer higher education for imams. The activities of all are now under intense examination, both here and in the rest of Europe. France has appointed a commission of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars to find ways of widening the provision of imam training, and the Netherlands mandates citizenship courses for foreign imams.

Britain’s Muslims would welcome state cash for traditional seminaries, but are wary of the potential strings attached. But it is the fly-by-night colleges offering shorter courses that need greater scrutiny. These would be well advised to pre-empt government intervention by cutting links with foreign militants and insisting on the use of English in instruction, and the creation of citizenship classes. Only when Muslims trust the training of their leaders can they win the trust of the wider community.