Education and Religious Minorities: Jews in Iran and Muslims in America

In this paper, I briefly explore how theoretical articulations of Islamic education intersected with the realities of its practice in North America. I first examine these articulations via the “Islamization of Knowledge” movement, through the writings of some of its pioneers, such as Syed Naquib Al-Attas and Ismail Al-Faruqi, as well as the recommendations published after the first four World Conferences on Muslim Education. Then, using Memon’s (2009) work on the history of Islamic schooling in North America, I compare these articulations with the practical trajectory of Islamic education in African-American and immigrant Muslim communities. I find that, first, Islamization of Knowledge is mischaracterized as a homogenous movement. While its pioneers certainly had overlapping ideas and assumptions, there were differences too. Second, although Islamization as a “total movement” did not have a significant impact on the practice of Islamic education, some of its principles and ideas were reflected in the Clara Mohammed Schools and the efforts of the African-American Muslim community. I conclude with the relevance of these ideas for Islamic education in America today.