Table 3.

Characteristics of included studies

Study ID; Aim; Design/ Theoretical perspective	Eligibility criteria	Recruitment	Sample characteristics	Data collection and Data analysis
Study 1: Ali & Burchett, 2004 [25] To raise awareness amongst HCPs and to challenge the racial and religious stereotypes that affect Muslim women’s birth experiences. Interpretive descriptive – theoretical approach unclear	Inclusion: -Given birth within 3 years -Born and raised in UK and those born/raised overseas -Born Muslim or converted to Islam -Regardless of the women wearing the hijab (head scarf) -Regardless of income and ability to speak English	Sampling via the project’s advisory group Recruited across regions in Central and Northern England	n = 43 women from variety of backgrounds including Iraqi, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, European, Indian, Somali and African n = 22 men (partners) n = 8 HCPs	5 focus groups with Muslim women; Questionnaires with Muslim men; Telephone interviews with HCPs Focus group – framework analysis Open-ended question in questionnaire – content analysis HCPs telephone interviews - both framework and content analysis
Study 2: Hassan, 2017 [26]; Hassan et al., 2019 [27] To investigate Muslim women’s motherhood journey and explore the factors that influenced their health needs and decision making when engaging with services. Interpretive descriptive	Inclusion: Phase 1 and 2: First time Muslim pregnant women aged≥18 engaging with maternity services and Muslim mothers who had experienced childbirth in past 3 years. All living and received maternity care in Merseyside, England All English speaking Phase 3: HCPs from a large maternity service in Merseyside	Phase 1 and 2: Purposive sampling from the Muslim community and mailing group (used and created by a number of local Muslim women). Phase 3: Snowball sampling	Phase 1: n = 8 pregnant women Phase 2: n = 24 mothers (Varying in ethnicity, education, occupation, marital status etc.). Phase 3: n = 12 HCPs	Phase 1: 24 one-to-one longitudinal semi-structured interviews Phase 2: 5 focus groups Phase 3: 12 one-to-one interviews Thematic analysis
Study 3: Alshawish et al., 2013 [28] To investigate the access and use of maternity health services, as well as the barriers and facilitators for Palestinian women. Pragmatic approach, as reported by authors	Inclusion: -Aged ≥18 -Palestinian Muslim -Living in the UK -Had children in one of the Arabic schools in Manchester, England	Purposive sampling is implied and snowball technique; invited through the Arabic school and local mosque	n = 22 Palestinian women living in different areas of Manchester	Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Framework analysis
Study 4: Ellis, 2000 [29] To explore the experience of second generation South Asian Muslim women and to highlight the issues of midwifery practice for this group. Ethnography	Inclusion: -Primiparous -Aged 18–35 -Low risk pregnancy -Second generation and educated in the UK -South Asian Muslim	Purposive sampling is implied	n = 10; no information on ethnic background or other demographics	Semi-structured interviews 1 week after birth. Non-participant observation during labour. Review of birth-plan. Thematic analysis is implied
Study 5: Bawadi, 2009 [30] To gain insight into the lived experiences of migrant Arab Muslim women during their experiences of childbirth in the UK. Phenomenology - Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology	Inclusion: -Pregnant women living in and receiving maternity care in the UK -Aged ≥18 -Migrants in the UK in the past 10 years from Arab countries	Purposive sampling and snowball sampling from Islamic centre, Arabic schools and Muslim women’s societies.	n = 8; varying ages, parity and reason for migration	22 longitudinal semi-structured interviews carried out in the antenatal, perinatal and postnatal period. Thematic analysis and reports using an adapted version of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) together with hermeneutic principles.
Study 6: Bharj, 2007 [31] To explore Pakistani Muslim women’s experiences of labour and maternity services to enable the development of responsive and sensitive midwifery care and knowledge. Interpretive ethnographic	Inclusion: -Pakistani Muslim women with no history of either medical or obstetric complexities -Women identified as having healthy babies - Women were excluded if they had experienced previous obstetric care or were multigravida	Recruited from 3 cities in Northern England using the snowballing approach. Purposive sampling and convenience sampling from 9 antenatal classes	n = 27, including 13 primigravidae Pakistani Muslim women, 5 midwives and 9 interpreters	Semi-structured interviews and 3 participant observations during labour. Content analysis (thematic framework approach)