British Muslim Women Educators
British Muslim Women’s Research and Practice on Tarbiyah (religious nurture, identity formation, and education) of British Muslim Children - A workshop held at the Centre of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge 14-26th September 2021.
Overview
This project gathers female Muslim researchers and educators whose work is in the field of meeting the educational and tarbiyah (religious nurture and identity formation) needs of the 8% of British schoolchildren who are of Muslim heritage. It aims to address the dominant discourse in this space i.e., the countering extremism and PREVENT agenda, not by directly engaging with it as such, but by generating an alternative lived experience and gender driven narrative to strategically engage the public discourse on Muslim integration in the UK. Much has been said about the damage the PREVENT agenda is doing to young Muslims, however, alternatives are rarely given a platform. This innovative workshop fills this gap through an inaugural gathering of Muslim women who are researchers, religious scholars, community leaders and educators from diverse traditions within the Muslim community, as well as female non-Muslim allies who can provide critique and challenge. The workshop will generate an interdisciplinary space across the Arts, Languages, Humanities and Sciences. It aims to facilitate discussion on existing research and innovative community initiatives thereby bridging the gap between the two. It aims to provide a space where Muslim women can explore perspectives drawn from their Islamic faith, cultural backgrounds and intersectional lived experiences, and through this exploration share insights and generate practical recommendations. The workshop will lead to a report with recommendations for Muslim communities, schools and policy makers in charting a way forward for educating Muslim children in the UK.
Although Muslim children face challenges on many levels, not least academic achievement and social mobility, the focus of this symposium is what is often referred to as ‘identity’, however we will also approach the topic in terms of ideas of selfhood, character, cultural coherence and agency. In doing so, we include researchers working across the Arts, Languages, Humanities and Sciences whose expertise speaks to the lived experience and faith commitment of children and young people across Muslim communities.
Project Organisers
Dr Farah Ahmed, Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and Hughes Hall College, University of Cambridge
Yomna Helmy, Teaching and Outreach Associate, Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge
Amina Shareef, PhD Student, Faculty of Education and Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge