“I Am a Muslim First …” Challenges of<i>Muslimness</i>and the UK State Schools

Shah, Saeeda

doi:10.1080/15700763.2017.1398335

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Other roles to support the needs of BME pupils, such as acting as translators for BME pupil communities, have also been identified as roles that are earmarked for BME teachers (Coleman and Campbell-Stephens 2010;Ghuman 1995;Haque and Elliot 2017). Recently, Shah (2016Shah ( , 2018 has argued for the inclusion of Islamic notions of education and leadership into British state educational leadership to better attend to the needs of Muslim pupils. Thus, notions of leadership already surround Muslim teachers, but primarily as a case of BME actor.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Feel as Though I’m Doing the Job of the Imam for Them”: Considering ‘Tactical’ Muslim Leadership Through the Case of ‘Muslim RE Teachers’

Vince

2019

Religions

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Although Muslim leadership in Britain has long been the focus of scholarly attention, discussion has tended to prioritise “official” Muslim leaders (Birt 2006; Geaves 2008; Ahmad and Evergeti 2010). However, what constitutes a “Muslim leader” is increasingly contested, revealing instead a diversity of authoritative ‘claim makers’ and representative positions (Jones et al. 2015). These contestations were a recurring theme throughout the Leadership, Authority and Representation in British Muslim Communities conference (Gilliat-Ray and Timol 2019). Building upon these debates, this article considers how Muslim teachers can be considered Muslim leaders within their local contexts. This paper draws on qualitative research with 21 ‘Muslim RE teachers’ across England to consider how their experience and positioning as ‘role models’ for Muslim and non-Muslim pupils brought considerable influence to represent Muslims, affect school policy and practice, and shape “official” Islamic discourses in their local communities. I argue that their experience reflects what can be considered as ‘Muslim leadership’ on the broader scholarly terrain, but as a form of ‘tactical’ Muslim leadership by virtue of existing within the confines of “secular” institutions. As such, this article concludes by calling for the recognition of Muslim leadership beyond national, ‘strategic’ forms to more ‘tactical’, contextually bounded cases.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Feel as Though I’m Doing the Job of the Imam for Them”: Considering ‘Tactical’ Muslim Leadership Through the Case of ‘Muslim RE Teachers’

Vince

2019

Religions

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“…Indeed, the Muslim 'community' has become a seemingly homogeneous bloc, -John mentions their shared failure for preventing terrorist attacks for example -where the racial, ethnic and classed aspects of identity become subsumed in the religious dimension. I argue that this 'surplus of meaning' where religious identification is presumed as the explanation for all actions and comportment of those identified as Muslim (Wesselhoeft 2017, Shah 2019 exemplifies the affective policy 'tone' emanating from the contemporary structure of feeling. Some of John's attitudes appeared influenced by a difficult interaction with a Muslim community group which had used the school building out-of-hours for supplementary education.…”

Section: 'Muscular' Liberalismmentioning

confidence: 94%

The illiberalism of liberalism: schools and fundamental controversial values

Vincent¹

2020

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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This paper analyses the recent protests by mainly Muslim parents against the use ofLGBTQ+-friendly story books in a primary school in Birmingham, England, the associated court case, and the broader issues it highlights about the contradictory and complex relationships between liberalism, faith, and democracy. I discuss the case itself, tensions around Relationships and Sex Education, and the wider social and political context for the protest, considering both the position of 'Muslims' in the UK's civic and political society, and how dominant discourses within liberalism responds to 'others' in this present temporal moment. I conclude by briefly considering the potential of deliberative democracy and agonism as approaches to address emotive value clashes, and to emphasise the importance of primary schools as places of shared investments, where families and teachers might move towards developing mutual understandings.

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“…This type of education in the Islamic tradition is, for many people, a highly valued form of education (Ahmed, 2021; Berglund, 2019b; Memon, 2019), yet it has been stunted by educational aspects of colonization and an ongoing lack of appreciation for its importance. This has resulted in educational research and practice falling short of serving Muslim learners and, as a neglected field, has resulted in policies and practices that “often fail to achieve intended aims” (Shah, 2019, p. 351). More research is needed at the intersection of Islamic and secular educational communities for young Muslims’ well-being in both.…”

Section: An Educational Intersectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…He described that confessional Islamic education has been instrumental in developing this religification of Muslims at the expense of other identities. Shah (2019) also described Muslimness as problematic, but primarily in its potential to further marginalize the young people who claim this identity designation, in setting up a polarized “suspect community and the racist state” (p. 349). For example, British-born Muslims suffer educationally, emotionally and socially who do not feel belonging to their parents’ or grandparents’ countries of origin yet simultaneously “experience rejection in the country of their own birth and citizenship” (p. 352).…”

Section: Ontoepistemic Integrations In Two Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Something more beautiful: educational and epistemic integrations beyond inequities in Muslim-minority contexts

Alkouatli

Memon

Chown

et al. 2023

JME

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Purpose Islamic schools in Western secular societies are evolving in response to collective concerns over marginalization of Muslim children and communities and to increasing demands for high-quality education in the faith tradition. These schools are at the center of public debate over how they fit within secular societies. This paper aims to take a pedagogic look at the literature in the field of Islamic Education Studies. Design/methodology/approach Engaging in a collaborative thematic analytic review of this literature, in an educational hermeneutic approach, two novel themes are discerned as features of Muslim learners’ diverse educational landscapes. Findings The first theme, Dual Consciousness recognizes that young Muslims live parallel lives, moving between secular and faith-based schools and communities, and suggesting potential in developing cognitive flexibility across epistemic horizons. The second theme, Educational Transferables is a coalescence of abilities that young Muslims develop within sites of Islamic education, which may enhance their engagement in secular schools and societies. Social implications In highlighting possibilities for young people’s educational well-being in both secular and Islamic schools, with significant pedagogical implications for both, the themes featured in this paper suggest that Muslim learners’ complex educational experiences make varied contributions to heterogeneous societies. Originality/value Despite ongoing forces of marginalization, expressions of Islamic education have benefits for young Muslims negotiating complex sociocultural and educational worlds. In highlighting possibilities for young people’s educational well-being in both secular and Islamic schools, with significant pedagogical implications for both, these themes suggest that Muslim educators can nurture in young people the ability for complex, conceptual integration in contribution to heterogeneous societies.

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“I Am a Muslim First …” Challenges ofMuslimnessand the UK State Schools

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

“I Feel as Though I’m Doing the Job of the Imam for Them”: Considering ‘Tactical’ Muslim Leadership Through the Case of ‘Muslim RE Teachers’

“I Feel as Though I’m Doing the Job of the Imam for Them”: Considering ‘Tactical’ Muslim Leadership Through the Case of ‘Muslim RE Teachers’

The illiberalism of liberalism: schools and fundamental controversial values

Something more beautiful: educational and epistemic integrations beyond inequities in Muslim-minority contexts

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