Towards MusCrit: Counter-Narratives of Muslim American Students

The reflections of female Muslim American youth provide us a glimpse into their lived reality as they navigate their hyphenated identities in spaces that systemically other (Sirin & Fine, 2008). The creative piece shared here is a silhouette of a woman featuring statements signifying that very experience. I conducted a narrative inquiry into the lives of Muslim American women. The conversations accumulated hours’ worth of data and anecdotal evidence with 15 participants ranging between the ages of 18 and 22 sharing deeply resonating stories of being. The commonality that strings these 15 narratives together is standing at intersectional crossroads yet being considered a monolithic entity because of an association to a racialized religion (Omi & Winant, 2014; Crenshaw, 1991). I share with you here direct quotes that offer a poignant glimpse into those conversations. When we speak of marginalized populations, it is most important to let those populations do the speaking. That is the power of a counter-narrative. As a tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT), counter-narratives are a truth generating and truth honoring tool (Delpit & Dowdy, 2008). Counternarratives dismantle and disallow a sabotaging hijack by whiteness of the stories of oppressed peoples (Leonardo, 2002). This paper seeks to highlight the phrases and statements made by female Muslim American youth as they speak of their lives. The paper situates that conversation in the theory and practice of Critical Race Theory, using it as a framework but also as a methodology. Furthermore, the paper invites readers to explore my work on the creation of a micro-theoretical framework that is particular to this demographic and honors them as a distinct reality.

Critical Race Theory evolved originally as a legal theoretical framework, and later found application in the educational experiences of minoritized populations (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). Critical Race Theory in the field of education allows scholars and practitioners alike to reconsider the ways in which the lived experiences of marginalized students can be understood.

This past year witnessed several events where questions of marginalization and oppression have stared the nation squarely in the face and made denial harder to hang on to. As President Biden stepped into the White House, numerous calls against CRT have been made nationwide. Former Vice President Mike Pence stated that he will “cancel CRT”, and a few states have actively made policies making it illegal to teach CRT in schools. Following the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement demanded a call for action across the country. Amid protests and standouts, several towns, cities, educational institutions, and organizations opened up conversations regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In some cases, this DEI work serves as a bandage, in others it has been tokenized, while in some areas reflective audits are taking place.

This need for reflection also sat at the crossroads of the pandemic itself. COVID-19 made it blatantly clear to America that schools provide more than education. They provide safe havens (or not), food, accessibility, technology, human connection, and much more. This past year also saw the attack on the Capitol Building with a complete disregard for democracy, and made rather obvious the imbalance of power that exists in the country. The night of the attack, teachers across America wondered how they would address the issue in class the next day. There were two distinct camps: those that stood firmly on the stance that a school is not the place for a discussion of politics and that remaining neutral and disengaged is essential, and those who said that teaching is a political act and neutrality was synonymous to complicit oppression.

As we tie together these pieces, we see a nation a divided on the role of education. If schools are merely places of learning how to add, subtract, and write, then all other conversations need to be disallowed and cancelled. If schools are places where growth takes place and students learn to think critically and become change agents towards an equitable and inclusive world, then not only should space be made at the table for the lived experiences of all communities, but the counternarratives of all demographics need to...