Integrated Islamic Education: Futuring Beyond Bifurcated Learning and Muslim Identity Development in Western Contexts

• In Event: Islamic Studies and Arabic: Integrated Curricular Approaches for Intensive Programs, Faith-Based Education, and Public Schools

Abstract

Within parochial education, teaching religious doctrine and promoting belief acquisition often occurs parallel to instruction of primary curricular subjects. The separation, however, may have negative implications. In particular, Muslim youth navigating ethno-religious bias may risk perpetuating a split between identifying with religious sources of knowledge and understanding “secular” subjects. This paper describes integrated Islamic curricular approaches that reflect the faith’s comprehensive learning framework and provides illustrative examples from early childhood and high school settings.

Theoretical frameworks: This study takes multi-pronged framework to attend to developmental, ecological, and intersectional identities of students and adults within educational contexts. We center Muslim families’ strengths, developmental assets and community wealth (García Coll, et al. 1996; Yosso 2005) within stratified contexts that include racism, discrimination, and other forms of oppression and how individuals navigate the phenomenon of their lives (Spencer 2017). Within critical race theory, a MusCrit focus provides specific considerations related to Islamophobia and the ways Muslim youth in the West are de-Americanized and religionized because of their religious affiliation (Ali 2021; Mir 2014).

Methods: This manuscript is primarily grounded in an inquiry approach and incorporates illustrative applied scenarios from practitioner-researcher work (Cochran-Smith & Lytle 2009) with autoethnographic examples that link inquirers’ social positions in relation to our practitioner-research with children and families (Creswell & Creswell 2017).

Data Sources, Objects, and Materials: The practitioner-inquiry is rooted in transdisciplinary literatures (e.g., developmental science, education, Islamic studies) to help contextualize data focused on emergent curriculum development with an integrated Islamic focus (i.e., Reggio-Emilia inspired, Verification and Renewal Curriculum). Data sources included autoethnographic reflections by practitioner-researchers on interactions with colleagues, students, and families related to the curriculum; student work samples and related documentation that reflect engagement by young students and high school aged youth, and extant resources and products developed such as curricular guides and student and educator reactions to them.

Results provide a range of responses from students, educators, and adults. For both early childhood and high school students, students responded readily to the opportunity to integrate Islamic knowledge into “everyday” subjects, often expanding the scope of inquiry beyond the original plans to respond to their questions and perspectives. Educators found that the integrated capacity of authentic inquiry provided opportunities to differentiate instruction based on students’ interests, previous knowledge, and particular areas of academic strengths and opportunities. While educators focused on ways to articulate bridges for students between Islamic knowledge, modernity, and the contemporary western world, unexpected outcomes from the early childhood and high school cases highlighted challenges in aligning integrated Islamic education approaches with parental expectations regarding western learning standards. Some families displayed varying forms of resistance indicating worry that the focus on Islamic studies might detract from their child’s rigorous preparation for future educational and economic pursuits.

Scholarly Significance: This ongoing study of curricular development indicated the need for further development and proliferation of integrated Islamic education while engaging family and community in realizing the benefits of such integration and broadening its scope to meet priorities of all vested parties.

Authors

• Mona M. Abo-Zena, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Aaron Spevack, Brandeis University