Resisting Exclusion: The Civic Engagement of a Female Muslim American Student Leader

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Youth Civic Engagement and Attitudes Toward Social Justice and Morality (Table 1)

Abstract

Civic engagement contributes to the positive development of youth. It is especially important among the Muslim American youth because of their experiences of exclusion and discrimination. The study features Mina (pseudonym), a Muslim American student leader from a Southern city in the U.S. Mina founded the Muslim Student Association (MSA) in high school to unite Muslim students to take pride in their identity and undertake projects to counter Islamophobia in their school and community. Non-Muslim teachers supported Mina’s civic endeavors. Mina’s civic engagement was nurtured by her Muslim identity and supportive familial and school environments. The study enriches the scant literature on Muslim women civic engagement. Implications of enhancing youth civic engagement amid structural and ideological exclusions are discussed.

Author

• Ma Glenda Lopez Wui, Ateneo de Manila University