Progressive Islamic Schooling: Harnessing Freedom to Dismantle Injustice

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Outcomes, Culture, and Leadership (Table 19)

Abstract

Anti-Muslim narratives have given rise to perceptions that Muslims are incompatible with the concept of freedom. This five-year qualitative case study explored the role freedom played in the education of Muslim students in one American Islamic school (PK-8). Findings of the study identified six freedoms that were integral to teaching and learning and understood as a core component of students’ faith: Freedom of Identity, Freedom of Pedagogy, Freedom for Diversity, Freedom for Conflict, Freedom to Trust, and Freedom to Love. The six freedoms allowed students to explore their potential, become active participants in their education, and develop the capabilities to navigate contested sociopolitical contexts. Yet, fully actualizing the six freedoms was constrained by incidents of racism, incompetence, bias, and fear.

Authors

• Melanie Carol Brooks, Edith Cowan University

• Miriam Deborah Ezzani, Texas Christian University