Critical Spirituality in Islamic School Leadership

• In Event: Critical Care as a Mechanism for School Improvement and Change

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to better understand how an Islamic school principal’s critical spirituality shaped her leadership practice. School leaders applying a critical spiritual lens affirm students’ diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds, incorporate religions and spiritual resources throughout curricula, and empower students through opportunities both within and external to the schoolhouse. Using a progressive Islam conceptual framework, we found that the school leader’s progressive Islamic beliefs influenced her leadership practice, suggesting three aspects of critical spirituality essential to her work, namely: critical consciousness; critical resistance; and, critical love. This research brings to the fore the unique voice of a Muslim school leader and demonstrates that accepting educational responsibility is a calling of faith.

Authors

• Melanie Carol Brooks, Edith Cowan University

• Miriam Deborah Ezzani, Texas Christian University