Educational Leadership: an Islamic perspective

Ethnocentric concepts, theories and practices in education, predominantly embedded in western philosophy and values, tend to ignore the growing multicultural nature of educational institutions. This article draws attention to the knowledge gap in mainstream literature regarding diverse perspectives of educational leadership—an issue which is foreseen as gaining higher significance with the fast-changing societal structures in Britain. Having worked as a Muslim woman educational leader/manager in higher education in an Islamic state for more than two decades, and now working at a British university, positioned as a non-White woman Muslim, the author endorses the need to move beyond ethnocentrisms and to work towards developing complex theoretical constructs to reconceptualise educational leadership, drawing from perspectives held by diverse ethnic groups—students and communities. How learners from diverse philosophical and ethnic backgrounds conceive and perceive educational leadership, and how they receive it, is bound to interact with their learning experience and performance. This article briefly introduces leadership as a concept formulated in context. It presents philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of these conceptualisations from an Islamic perspective, and highlights the interplay between knowledge and leadership. The article deliberates how these discourses interact to formulate 'educational leadership' in Muslim societies, and explores the implications of these constructions with a focus on the British context, where Muslims are in a minority, pointing to the significance of understanding philosophical diversity for embracing population diversity

Muslim learners in English schools: a challenge for school leaders

Faith identity is emerging as significant for Muslim students in the post 9/11 scenario, with implications for their education and wider social cohesion. This poses challenges to school leaders, raising issues not only linked to student achievement and performance, but also with regard to students' identity constructions and their educational engagement. The paper draws on data collected from a small number of teachers and Muslim students from two secondary schools in England, looking at how Muslim students experience their identity in the school context and with what implications for their educational engagement. It also discusses the challenges for educational leaders/teachers in managing 'Muslimness' on educational sites. The data indicate that the increasing engagement with faith identity can be a response to experiences of discrimination, marginalisation and negative media. The paper highlights the need for communication and understanding across differences, underpinned by an equally pressing need for the recognition of religious and cultural diversity

Re-thinking educational leadership: exploring the impact of cultural and belief systems

This article argues that people from diverse ideological and ethnic backgrounds conceive, perceive and practise educational leadership differently, drawing upon their beliefs, values and knowledge sources. It draws on data collected by 11 in-depth interviews with female heads of 'girls-only' colleges in a region in Pakistan. The paper briefly introduces leadership as a concept formulated in context. It presents philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of these conceptualizations from an Islamic perspective as a case, and highlights the interplay between belief systems, educational leadership and gender. The article deliberates as to how these discourses interact to formulate 'educational leadership' in Muslim societies, and explores the implications of these constructions for women in educational leadership in a Muslim society

Leading Multi-ethnic Schools: adjustments in concepts and practices for engaging with diversity

The student population across world is increasingly reflective of diverse cultures, religions and ethnicities. This rich diversity may become a challenge for educational leaders, teachers, and policy-makers in the absence of an understanding of diverse sources of knowledge people draw on for directing their beliefs and daily practices. This paper explores the multi-ethnic context in Britain with a focus on Muslim students in English secondary schools, and argues for drawing on diverse ethnic knowledge sources to inform and enrich approaches towards managing diversity. It discusses the concept of Adab derived from Muslim ethics and philosophy, and debates possible contributions of such conceptual adaptations towards improving educational engagement and performance

Leadership progression of Muslim male teachers: interplay of ethnicity, faith and visibility

The paper focuses on perceived barriers to the career progression of Muslim male teachers to leadership positions in English secondary schools, exploring the impact of ethnicity, faith and Muslim visibility in the post 9/11 scenario. It draws on a small study of Muslim male teachers (MMTs) from five boroughs in London to explore their experiences and perceptions. The research evidenced that the participating MMTs faced multiple barriers and diverse expressions of discrimination in their career progression. Although much of the discrimination reported was covert in nature, a lack of understanding of issues relating to diversity, Islamophobia, visibility and religious/ethnic affiliations was identified as a major contributing factor to this discrimination. The paper draws attention to the issues of equal opportunities, social justice and inclusion linked to marginalisation of a particular group of the workforce and its impact on individuals' career destinations as well as its long-term implications for societal cohesion

Why single-sex schools? Discourses of culture/faith and achievement

This paper is developed from a study carried out to explore factors influencing the choices of a range of stake-holders in a multi-ethnic urban community - students, parents, teachers, community representatives - with regard to single-sex schooling. The paper discusses competing perspectives underpinning the focus of the study. Recent legislation in America approving single-sex schooling (Hutchison Amendment in June 2001), and increased provision of single-sex classes in UK and elsewhere have augmented the debates around single-sex education and achievement. However, another important but less explored aspect is association between single-sex education and culture/faith in certain communities/countries. In today's multi-ethnic multi-faith societies, it is highly significant to look at schooling preferences from the perspectives of different groups and communities for the purposes of responding to their needs and expectations. This paper extends the debate by discussing the impact of culture and faith on school choices with regard to single-sex versus co-educational schooling

Leadership progression of Muslim male teachers: interplay of ethnicity, faith and visibility

The paper focuses on perceived barriers to the career progression of Muslim male teachers to leadership positions in English secondary schools, exploring the impact of ethnicity, faith and Muslim visibility in the post 9/11 scenario. It draws on a small study of Muslim male teachers (MMTs) from five boroughs in London to explore their experiences and perceptions. The research evidenced that the participating MMTs faced multiple barriers and diverse expressions of discrimination in their career progression. Although much of the discrimination reported was covert in nature, a lack of understanding of issues relating to diversity, Islamophobia, visibility and religious/ethnic affiliations was identified as a major contributing factor to this discrimination. The paper draws attention to the issues of equal opportunities, social justice and inclusion linked to marginalisation of a particular group of the workforce and its impact on individuals' career destinations as well as its long-term implications for societal cohesion