Islam and Muslims in U.S. Public Schools Since September 11, 2001

Abstract

While much research has considered the way Muslims are represented in the mass media in recent years, there has been little exploration of the way Muslims and Islam are discussed in U.S. public schools. This article considers how Muslims and Islam are represented in educational standards, textbooks, and supplementary resources, with an eye to the need since September 11, 2001, to provide a broad understanding of this religion and group as part of the diversity of public life within U.S. society and across a global community. The author concludes that greater teacher preparation is needed to enable teachers to make good use of outside resources, in order to aid understanding, rather than put forward one sided, if “matter-of-fact,” information such as that typically found in textbooks and supplementary resources today.

Acknowledgments

Liz Jackson is an educational consultant with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, Jozini, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected]