In the third year of my Ph.D., I was discussing my research in comparative contemporary Islamic education with a Hui Muslim from China, and they asked me, “Are there even different kinds?” It is true that “tawheed” (acknowledging God’s existence and unity) is always at the core of an Islamic way of learning and teaching, yet, considering the immense cultural,…
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Photo by Saulat Pervez: Here is an example of a space dedicated for Muslim students on campus at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Growing up in a small town in the south, I dealt with several instances of Islamophobia, racism, and discrimination. I had peers and teachers who consistently said my name wrong even when I corrected them, made…
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Artwork by Nadia Hafid Over two decades have passed since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Since that horrific day, the US has engaged in two overt wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with several more covert drone wars in Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Pakistan. Yet when we choose to #neverforget 9/11 (at least in the US), our focus remains…
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When New American Muslim Youth (NAMY) come to the USA as refugees, they try their best to integrate and assimilate in their new communities. Generally, many NAMY might lack adequate literacy or formal education due to personal or societal factors that made them flee their homelands and seek refuge in other countries. While many NAMY may already be literate in…
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Many college campuses across the United States have a Muslim Students Association (MSA), a student-led club that is formed to build a Muslim student community that engages in spiritual, social, and university activities. Like other campus clubs for students, they often identify a faculty advisor who will provide advice to adhere to university guidelines. After two years into my faculty…
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The human being is hardwired to form relationships (Kline, 2008). Our neurobiological systems predispose us to cultivate nurturing relationships, as our brains and hormones react to facilitate deep bonds with other human beings. Healthy parental and peer relations have been known to be essential for positive youth development. In addition to parental and peer connections, strong student-teacher rapport empowers our…
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“Verily, I have only been sent to perfect righteous character.” --Prophetic Tradition The call for a holistic, student-centered, and justice-oriented education in public schooling (Miller 2019) has necessitated a reexamination of the approaches to Islamic education both in the Muslim and non-Muslim world. Educators have come to realize not only the need for change, but the importance of transformational learning…
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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Once upon a time, according to a traditional story, there was a meeting of the nobility at court. Then, someone dressed poorly was invited by the King to sit in the best corner of the hall, while others marvelled at this. To justify his actions and to show that person's…
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American Muslims are split between those who attend the mosque at least once a week (45%) and those who attend only for Eid or even less (40%) (Pew Research Center, 2007, 2011, 2017). To explore why some Muslims are engaged in their communities—what I call embeddedness—while others stay away, I conducted life history interviews with 80 adult Muslims in 2016/2017…
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Who am I? Where do I belong? These are the existential questions faced during adolescence by all youth—and become particularly important questions for Muslim American youth as they come of age in a heated sociopolitical environment. What helps Muslim youth thrive as they try to answer these questions and become the best version of themselves? What promotes their healthy well-being…
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