“We're An Ummah:” Disrupting Anti-Muslim Racism And Nurturing Muslim Educators Through Circles Of Collective Empowerment, Storytelling, And Healing

Anti-Muslim leadership practices manifest at different levels of school systems and create experiences in which Muslim public school educators (1) face biased school-based policies and practices that alienate them, (2) encounter microaggressions and religious discrimination from colleagues, (3) are forced to debunk misconceptions about Muslims and teach about Islam to the greater community, (4) need to support the Muslim community to help Muslim families navigate the school system, and (5) must convey public Dawah to overcome these challenges. Recognizing that anti-Muslim racism is a systemic issue rather than an individual bias is crucial in challenging its practices, assumptions, and reasonings (Abdul Khabeer et al., 2017). Using Liberatory Design, MusCrit, and narrative inquiry, the study aimed to empower Muslim public school educators to share their authentic identities, practice mindfulness, and build community, leading to the creation of their own ummah, a network of support and reflection. Data collection methods included empathy interviews, analytic memos, halaqa as a research method, and qualitative interviews. Using narrative discourse, a manner in which stories are told and presented, the researcher wrote narratives for all thirteen empathy interviews and six halaqas (Alleyne, 2015). The research study provided findings and analyses of Muslim educators through the lens of the National Equity Project’s Lens of Systemic Oppression framework and MusCrit tenets. The study identified the following themes of transformative knowledge; ideas reflecting the human condition; and the personal growth of Muslim educators, influenced by the conditions and experiences within the halaqa space: (1) teaching as Dawah, (2) knowledge and empowerment, (3) anti-Palestinian racism, (4) a sisters ummah, and (5) collective healing. This research study's findings emphasize implications for school systems, including promoting representation, fostering inclusive environments, enforcing anti-discrimination policies, addressing systemic barriers, fostering trust, addressing trauma, and providing professional learning opportunities. Recommendations include antidotes to anti-Muslim racism, antidotes to overcoming challenges to identifiability, antidotes to whiteness as property and norm, and strategies to cultivate co-conspirators.