CEI was founded in 1996 as a community orientated network bringing knowledge and a sense of togetherness for the adults and children of Crawley. Throughout this period, CEI has brought many courses, programmes, guest speakers, Ramadhan iftars and sporting events to Crawley.

Beginning in 1996, CEI was heavily involved in providing weekly extra curricular support to 11–16 year olds by providing extra tuition in the key subjects Maths, English, combined sciences as well as basic Islamic principles and etiquettes. Combining this with football tournaments and providing a much-needed children’s social forum, CEI was privileged to see its core students complete to GCSE level.

During the recent years CEI has established and focused on professional and regular weekly classroom based learning for adults. These courses are taught by proficient teachers using powerpoint and handouts to help students appreciate the depth and detail of the classical texts being studied.