ITOC a Method to Combat Islamophobia in Education

• In Event: Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice: Purposeful Counterspace to Heal and Grow

Abstract

Objective
As a Brown Muslim woman critical teacher educator who wears the veil or hijab, in this Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) (Nash, 2004), I explore my experience attending the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice (ITOC) through critical race frameworks, specifically MusCrit (Ali, 2022).

Theoretical Framework
A subset of Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Crenshaw et al., 1995; Delgado & Stefancic, 2023), MusCrit tenets include critical analysis of a) systemic, white hegemonic understandings and ongoing oppression against Muslims, b) the visibility and identity of Muslims via clothing such as the hijab and a beard, c) gendered portrayals of Muslim men and women, d) counter-narratives amidst whitewashing of Muslims lived reality, e) impact of whiteness as property and colonial histories for many Muslims, and f) allyship by white voices to challenge prejudice against Muslims.

Methods
MusCrit emphasizes the power of compelling counter-narratives crafted through methods such as SPN which aims to make an impact on the writer, reader, and broader community. I employ SPN as it is not only self-reflective, but also political (Nash & Viray, 2013).

Data Sources
Over three days at ITOC, I collected data informally including notes, workshop handouts, anecdotes, and informal discussions with attendees and speakers.

Narrative
As a Brown Muslim hijabi educator, I have experienced significant racial stress and trauma (Kohli & Pizarro, 2022; Smith et al., 2006). Recently, Islamophobic comments by colleagues, many of whom claim commitments to racial justice, have hurt less than their silence on Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. For over nine months, like many Muslim Americans, I have been ostracized for my solidarity.
Attending ITOC I feared my keffiyeh, worn in solidarity with Palestinians, might invisibilize me in yet another academic space. At ITOC, welcoming smiles felt like a much needed warm embrace. I engaged in deep conversations and was saddened hearing about the ongoing racial stress and trauma colleagues face due to overwhelming whiteness in teacher education (King & Hampel, 2018; Matias & Zembylas, 2014) and the challenges of preparing teachers to challenge hegemonic narratives and teach Palestine, genocide, and settler-colonialism. In one session, I shared how my family's intergenerational trauma from ethnocide, forced displacement, and racial violence during the Great Partition in 1947 (Khan, 2017) informs my practice.
On the final day, a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine, also a hijabi, shared a compelling counter-narrative of diasporic guilt, resilience and hope. We briefly made eye contact and smiled. We both belonged; we were safe. Those around us let us be; educators who resist oppression.

Conclusions
Critical teacher educators of Color, especially those racialized as Muslims (Garner & Selod, 2015), heal in spaces like ITOC. ITOC represents a model of excellence in Critical Race Professional Development (CRPD) in its ability to empower and validate People of Color, and foster healing and well being.

Scholarly Significance
In highlighting the experience of one Muslim critical teacher educator, this narrative contributes to the broader discourse on CRPD and racial justice within teacher education and K-12 education writ large and offers critical insights for combating Islamophobia in education (Shaheen, 2024).

Author

• Mayeen Quader, University of California - Riverside