From Aliens to Allies: Empowering Muslim Mothers to Navigate and Nurture Their Children's Educational Journey in American Schools

Abstract

Recent Muslim immigrant mothers struggle to keep their children faithful to Islam while attending American schools.  This paper discusses the societal advantages of accommodating these children, and it examines portions of an earlier qualitative study validating and supporting their experiences and practices. That study identified themes of nurturing, accommodation, and acceptable adaptations to achieve their goals. This article also briefly compares the Muslim experience of religious alienation to the historical experience of American Catholic immigrants of the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Addressing the concerns of Muslim mothers is a key factor in keeping their children in traditional American schools.