Cross-Sections of Positionality and Educational Research The Experiences of Muslim Women in Academia

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Published: May 1, 2025
Keywords:
Muslim women, academia, intersectionality, Islamophobia, MusCrit

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Fatima Kizil
Syracuse University
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5301-4076
Noor Ali
Northeastern University
Amaarah DeCuir
American University
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9268-9419
Carolyn Lane
California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9207-238X
Sahar Khawaja
University of Denver

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the experiences of five Muslim women scholars in academia, focusing on the intersection of race,  religion, and gender in predominantly secular institutions. Through Critical Race Methodology (CRM), and Muslim Critical Race Theory  (MusCrit), we analyze how Muslim women navigate exclusionary academic spaces, particularly in the context of intensified  Islamophobia. Drawing on narrative inquiry and thematic analysis, we uncover patterns of silencing, inclusivity, hypervisibility, impostor syndrome, and the complexities of allyship. Our findings reveal the multifaceted strategies Muslim women employ to  reconcile their personal and professional lives within institutional structures that often fail to recognize religious diversity. This study  enhances discussions on representation and systemic change in higher education, highlighting the necessity for truly inclusive  environments that recognize and address the unique experiences of Muslim women scholars.

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How to Cite
Kizil, F., Ali, N., DeCuir, A., Lane , C., & Khawaja, S. (2025). Cross-Sections of Positionality and Educational Research: The Experiences of Muslim Women in Academia. Journal of Education in Muslim Societies, 6(2), 27–50. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iupjournals/index.php/jems/article/view/7772
Issue
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Special Issue - Women’s Scholarship and Engagement in Policy, Pedagogy, and Development
Section
Articles
Author Biographies

Fatima Kizil, Syracuse University

Fatima Seyma Kizil is a recent Ph.D. graduate in Literacy Education from Syracuse University, specializing in Muslim American adolescent literacy practices. Her dissertation, “Raising the Voices to Build Bridges,” explored the literacy experiences of Muslim American youth in an out-of-school book club setting and was nominated for the Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2025. Her extensive background in qualitative and quantitative research methods includes published articles, conference presentations, and ongoing projects focused on critical and digital literacy. Seyma also has a robust teaching background, from introductory college learning strategies to advanced literacy methods, and was an editorial assistant for the Journal of Literacy Research. She actively participates in several academic and community service initiatives, including mentorship, academic reviews, and literacy programs for diverse student populations.

Noor Ali, Northeastern University

​Dr. Noor Ali is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies, Graduate School of Education, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. Dr. Ali serves as the Concentration Lead for Transformative School Leadership in the Ed.D. Program at Northeastern University. Dr. Ali has developed a micro theoretical framework, MusCrit, as a subset of Critical Race Theory, where she posits a framing for understanding the lived experiences of Muslim Americans. Her book is Counter-narratives of Muslim American Women: Making Space for MusCrit. She has published extensively on topics of MusCrit, racialization of religion, demystifying Critical Race Theory, leadership, social justice, and experiential learning.  A veteran teacher in K-8 education, Dr. Ali is also the Principal of Al-Hamra Academy, where she has led several initiatives, including teaching towards equity, experiential learning, inter-faith dialogue, citizen science, and STEM education. Dr. Ali also serves as a Commissioner for the New England Association for Schools and Colleges (NEASC) the Commission of Independent Schools. She is actively involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work with NEASC and the Town of Shrewsbury, where she served on the DEI Taskforce. She is the author of One Teaspoon of Home, a poetry book on South Asian Cuisine.

 

Amaarah DeCuir, American University

 Amaarah DeCuir, EdD, is a faculty member at American University in the School of Education and an affiliate faculty member of its Antiracist Research and Policy Center.  She is an Executive Board member with the Center for Islam in the Contemporary World.  Her scholarship spans the areas of antiracist pedagogy, Muslim student experiences, Prophetic pedagogy, faith erasure, equity, antiracism and social justice, education leadership, teacher education, and faculty development.  DeCuir has been selected as an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division A Leadership for Social Justice Action Committee member.   She has published peer-reviewed articles and chapters, co-edited a book in the Routledge series, Educational Leadership for an Equitable, Resilient and Sustainable Future, and co-authored Faith Honoring:  Making the case for faith-inclusive pedagogy with Academic Studies Press.  Her public scholarship appears in news and media outlets. A highly regarded educator and facilitator, Dr. DeCuir teaches Education Studies and Social Justice, Education Leadership, and teaches an Antiracist Research Methods course she co-designed.  She brings over 30 years of teaching and leadership experiences from public and private K-12 schools to inform her current work in higher education. 

Carolyn Lane , California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)

Carolyn M. Lane's perspective as a researcher emerges from her journey as a Muslim biracial Black and White American woman who embraced Islam at age 14 in a small African American Masjid in Wilmington, Delaware, learning Islam through books, friends that became family, and community classes. From bean pies (a uniquely Black American sweet pie made with navy beans) and incense; to basboosa (Egyptian semolina cake) and Bint-al-Sahn (a layered Yemeni bread drizzled with honey) and bakhoor, her journey bridges diverse Muslim American experiences, reflecting the influences of both her early African American Muslim community and the Egyptian and Yemeni friends and teachers who have enriched her path in both Delaware and California. Her educational path began with being bussed from the city to the suburbs to racially balance Wilmington schools in the 1980s and 90s, followed by her first semester at the University of Delaware's city campus. Moving to California at 18 to marry her Yemeni husband of 31 years, she has lived among California's Egyptian and Yemeni-American Muslim communities on the Central Coast and Central Valley, where they have raised their seven children and three grandchildren over the last 29 years. She is now a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). Her education followed her family's moves from the Central Coast to the Central Valley. Despite the challenges of balancing moves and raising children, she completed multiple degrees at CSUB, including a master's in Early Childhood Education and a bachelor's in Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies with a minor in Linguistics. Now teaching at the same community college and university where she graduated, she has witnessed the diversification and growth of the student body over the years. Her work primarily serves first-generation students considered non-traditional by institutions—a designation often simply reflecting their status as working students with families getting their degrees. Her unique journey from Northern Delaware to Central California provides a distinctive lens for this MusCrit exploration of the lived experiences of Muslim American women in Academia. Lane aims to continue teaching and researching the communities in the Central Valley, bringing both personal insight and academic rigor to her work. 





Sahar Khawaja, University of Denver

Sahar Khawaja is a PhD candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver. Her dissertation focuses on the experiences of Muslim students in schools across the Rocky Mountain Region, emphasizing youth perspectives and leadership insights. Sahar has collaborated on numerous research projects alongside faculty as a research assistant at both the University of Denver and Wayne State University. Currently, she serves as a research assistant at the Center for Islam in the Contemporary World at Shenandoah University, where she is engaged in a mixed-method research project. Her academic interests include bridging the gap between students and educational leadership, the experiences of minoritized students—particularly Muslim students—and transformative leadership theory. Before enrolling in the PhD program at the University of Denver, Sahar earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Wayne State University and a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan. Upon completing her PhD in the winter of 2025, she aspires to pursue academic positions that encompass both teaching and research opportunities.