A case study of Muslim parents' agency in building Islamic schools in Maryland, USA

• In Event: Poster Group 7
  In Poster Session: A case study of Muslim parents' agency in building Islamic schools in Maryland, USA

Proposal

International migration has grown significantly in recent decades. An important issue faced by immigrants is the desire to protect their religious faith after migrating to a country where they become a minority. One solution to this challenge is sending their children to religious schools. Previous studies have revealed that immigrant parents choose religious schools to ensure that their children receive a religious education, reproduce religious values, preserve their religious identity, and provide a school environment that is free of racism and discrimination. Additionally, research suggests that religious diversity may lead to segregation in educational settings. Although previous studies have illuminated parental wishes and the issues concerning their choice of religious schooling, the challenges faced by immigrant parents in establishing and maintaining these schools remain underexplored. Therefore, we aim to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the motivations and backgrounds of the parents—are they individuals who have management experience or experience in teaching religious studies? (2) Why do parents need to build religious schools? Accordingly, I conducted a case study of Islamic elementary private schools in Maryland, USA, and examined the mutual dependency of the agency of first- and second-generation immigrant parents and the social structure, based on structuration theory, in relation to the establishment, development, and maintenance of Islamic education for immigrant children. Structuration theory was used to obtain an understanding of the research questions from the perspectives of individual agency (question (1)) and structures (question (2)). Two weeks of fieldwork was conducted at two Islamic elementary schools during May–June 2023 and various observations were made. Unstructured interviews were conducted with the principals of these schools, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 teachers and parents. Besides the fieldwork, online interviews were conducted with the principals and individuals involved in establishing these schools. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis revealed that dissatisfaction with public schools and the desire to provide better Islamic education for their children—a motivation no different from that of school choice—was found to have fostered the agency among parents for building religious schools. They worked to establish these schools amidst unfamiliar circumstances. Moreover, these individuals were mothers who lacked entrepreneurial and management experience and were not religious leaders. In one school, the mothers identified a resonance between the International Baccalaureate program and Islamic values, thereby creating a distinction from other Islamic schools in the area. This study contributes to understanding how Muslim parents view the current education system and suggests suitable religious education policy by shedding light on the wishes and actions of the parents regarding the provision of Islamic education, considering the increasing Muslim population and the existing issues of Islamophobia in the USA.

Authors

• Chiemi Kurokawa, Sophia University

• Hagar Ibrahim, Tarbiyah Academy