Making Space and Finding Voice for the Narrative of Muslim American Youth: The Educational Journeys of Female Muslim American High School Seniors (Joining virtually)

The lived educational experiences of Muslim American youth are deeply affected by the white, mainstream landscape where they navigate their realities as a minoritized and demonized group. Muslim American populations in North America have undergone traumatizing Islamophobia since the 9/11 attacks, which forced many Muslim families to return to their countries of origin in the face of racist threats or choose lifestyles where they could not be identified as Muslim. The Trump era unleashed further bigotry and hatred against Muslim Americans and brought on an alarming increase in hate crimes against this vilified demographic. Muslim American youth experience a distinct marginalization experience as part of their lived reality. This lived experience is one of challenges and resilience, invalidation and strength, as Muslim Americans navigate their intersectional realities with hyphenations and multiplicities of identity at play (Sirin & Fine, 2008). Critical Race Theory has been used first as a legal theoretical framework, and later found application in the educational experiences of minoritized populations. Subsets of Critical Race Theory have included LatCrit, TribalCrit, AsianCrit, FemCrit, QueerCrit and the like, each carving a niche for its demographic's specific experience. The creation of subsets within an academic framework, do more than creating a space, they also enable the tool of language to be established and used in a discussion that can be based on certain inherent assumptions. As a female, Muslim American, I have felt that such a space needed to be given for an exploration of the Muslim American experience, which while being intersectional is one situated in a narrative of demonization by the mainstream White. White control over the narrative of Muslim Americans either creates a story of oppression of Muslims by other Muslims, or spins a tale of terrorism. This article is centered around a narrative inquiry of 15 female Muslim American students around how they have navigated both Muslim and non-Muslim educational spaces in the United States. The study considers the formal and informal educational experiences of Muslim American high school and undergraduate female students including public and Islamic schooling, the role of family, and Muslim Student Association on Muslim American youth.

Dr. Noor Ali is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University's School of Education and serves as the Concentration Lead for Transformative School Leadership. Dr. Ali has developed a micro theoretical framework, MusCrit as a subset of Critical Race Theory where she posits a framing for understanding the lived experiences of Muslim Americans. Her book is titled Counter-narratives of Muslim American Women: Making Space for MusCrit. A veteran teacher in K-8 education, Dr. Ali is also the Principal of Al-Hamra Academy where she has led several initiatives including teaching towards equity, experiential learning, inter-faith dialogue, citizen science, and STEM education.