Islam in the United States Addressing Islamophobia in the Public Schools

Abstract

Although most Muslim children are educated in societies which are predominantly Islamic, increasing numbers are found in settings in which Muslims constitute a minority population. This is true in many European states, in the United States and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Myanmar, and India, among others. In some of these cases, Muslims have had a significance presence for centuries, while in others they are relative newcomers. Many of these countries are predominantly Christian, although it might be more accurate to identify them as secular in nature; others are Hindu, Buddhist or some other faith community. Recent years have seen an increase in hostility toward Muslim groups in many places, and there have been not simply verbal but physical – sometimes deadly – attacks on Muslims. This hostility toward and backlash against Muslims is the result of a variety of factors – ignorance, misunderstanding, xenophobia, racism, religious bigotry, demagoguery, historical tensions, and so on. Its origins, though, are for our purposes here of less significance than are the implications of such intolerance for Muslim children. These children need much the same educational support with respect to their religious and spiritual development as do other Muslim children, but they also have additional needs since they must be prepared to deal with the resistance that they may find among some classmates, teachers and members of non-Muslim community in which they live. In this article, suggestions will be offered for addressing the special challenges faced by Muslim children in the United States, as well as how the inclusion of the study of Islam can promote positive and supportive learning environments for all children.