The Role of Gender in Muslim Identity Development: Perceptions of U.S. Islamic School Teachers

• In Event: Women’s Religious Identity Formation in Educational Contexts

Abstract

Gender interaction in U.S Islamic schools is a critical discourse that should be considered in the process of developing religious identity in these schools (Zine , 2009). A critical analysis of gendered identity development in Islamic schools does not only show how U.S Islamic schools curricula and policy develop female and male identities of Islamic school students in the system of education which is informed by Islam, it highlights gendered identity negotiations of Islamic school students in Western societies where how Islam treats gender issues is already critical and biased from the first moment (Sensoy & Stonebaks, 2009). Discussing “Gendered Islamophobia” and “gendered discourses in Islam” are sought to understand how gendered issues influence the development of religious identity in Islamic schools
“Gendered Islamohobia” is a form of negative stereotypes which informs oppression of Muslim women in every aspect of social life ( Zine, 2009; Kincheole, Shirley & Stonebanks, 2009). There are several studies that include examples of “Gendered Islamophobia” and how experiencing this has influenced the identity development and representation of Muslim women who live in Western societies (Hodge 2002; Callaway 2010). ). One of the research focused on gendered identity among Muslim students is Zine (2009), where the context of gender is discussed by narratives of teachers, parents, female and male students in several Islamic schools in Canada. The discussions significantly showed how the school policies informed by religious perspective structured the social interactions between female and male students.
The Islamic Schools League of America announced that the number of students in Islamic schools increased by 25% since 2006. Recent research indicates that the number of Islamic schools in the U.S is more than 200 with student enrollment as high as 60 in some schools (Haddad, Senzai, & Smith, 2009; Keyworth, 2009; Niyozov & Pluim, 2010). The increased number of Islamic schools in the U.S generates several questions: What are the reasons behind the rise in the number of Islamic schools in the U.S? And perhaps more importantly: To what degree do U.S Islamic schools meet the needs of Muslim parents and students, so that Islamic schooling becomes an option in the U.S? According to Emerick (1999), most of the Muslim parents in U.S choose Islamic schools as a schooling option to empower the religious identity development of their children.
In light of reviewed literature, this study examines perceptions of three Islamic school teachers from three different U.S Islamic schools about the role of gender in Muslim identity development. The study found that teachers pointed out the gender as a specific factor in the development of Muslim identity. The study raised important questions regarding responsibility of the U.S Islamic school administrators and teachers to recognize how gender influence the religious identity development, and acknowledged the need to provide curriculum for gendered diversity, which could stimulate the development of supportive Muslim identity development for all students in U.S Islamic schools.

Author

• Kadriye El-Atwani, Purdue University