Bradford’s Council for Mosques was founded in 1981 by six local Muslims representing various Islamic viewpoints in the city. Muslims in the city supported the creation of the Council as an advocacy group which would represent their concerns, especially in the area of education. Muslims required a common platform from which to negotiate with the local authority in the vexed area of educational provision, the focus of widely shared anxieties.

 A Council for Mosques could manage and reduce sectarianism and create a forum for members of different mosques to meet. Such an organisation would be in a strong position to elicit financial help from local and central government. The organisation was the first Muslim umbrella body of its kind in the UK when it launched in 1981.

With their ethos of being "Committed to creating a united platform, contributing to the needs and aspirations of the Muslim community in Bradford and society at large", over 40 years on, the organisation still plays an active role in addressing the issues faced by British Muslims.