Architects of change: female Islamic school leaders in Australia & New Zealand

ABSTRACTThis interpretive study centers the marginalized voices of female Islamic school leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Sharing perspectives on their experiences leading Islamic schools situated in evolving, heterogeneous communities – facing male dominance both within their communities and beyond, in the larger society – these women revealed that their work involves sophisticated conceptual reconciliation as part of nuanced leadership at multiple social levels. Semi-structured interview data enabled the construction of three themes whereby the school leaders described centering student development, balancing the demands of school boards, parents, and wider Muslim communities, and emphasizing intercultural communication with the indigenous Aboriginal and Maori and Western secular-dominant communities. The study echoes extant literature on challenges that Muslim women in leadership face, but it also builds upon that literature in illuminating some unique strengths. With a clear vision of both the challenges and the goals – including to nurture girl students toward leadership of mixed societies – these leaders described drawing from Islamic frameworks of values toward leading Muslim contributions to mainstream society. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. Prophet Muhammad is held in the highest esteem by Muslims because he is considered a prophet who received the Qur’an as the words of God and is often honored, upon mention, with the words, peace and blessings be upon him, or, in Arabic: ﷺ. Likewise, upon mention of God (Allah, in Arabic), Muslims often say, subhana wa tala (the most glorified, the highest), which we denote with the Arabic symbol ﷻ. When the research participants said these words, we added the appropriate Arabic honorific as a symbol.Additional informationNotes on contributorsClaire AlkouatliClaire Alkouatli is a Lecturer at the University of South Australia, Centre for Islamic Thought and Education, a Research Fellow at the Cambridge Muslim College, and an educational consultant for Usua Foundation in the USA. She did a PhD in Human Development, Learning, and Culture at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, with a specialization in research methodology. Her qualitative research focuses on the roles of culture, relationships, and pedagogies in human development across the lifespan—particularly imagination, play, dialogue, inquiry, challenge, and spiritual developmental catalysts.Mohamed AbdallaMohamad Abdalla is the Founding Director the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) at the University of South Australia. He worked in the field of Islamic Studies for over 25 years and played a leading role in establishing Islamic Studies across several Australian universities. In 2020, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service, for his significant service to education in the field of Islamic studies. His authored and co-authored books include Curriculum Renewal for Islamic Education: Critical Perspectives on Teaching Islam in Primary and Secondary Schools (Routledge); Islamic Schooling in the West: Pathways to Renewal (Palgrave MacMillan), Leadership in Islam: Processes and Solutions in Australian Organizations (Palgrave MacMillan), Islam and the Australian News Media (Melbourne University Press).Nezar FarisNezar Faris is a scholar in Leadership and Management with a focus on the context of Muslim organisations in the West. Dr Faris’ work has appeared in The Leadership Quarterly. He has published widely on leadership in Islam and Islamic organisation including his co-authored book: Leadership in Islam: Thoughts, Processes and Solutions in Australian Organizations (Palgrave MacMillan).Siti Nur HidayahSiti Nur Hidayah is a lecturer at the Department of Islamic Education Management, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Sciences, State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE), at the Education Futures Unit, University of South Australia. Her research topic focuses on female leadership in higher education and pesantren and Islamic educational management.