Supporting Muslim Youth

On Wednesday, April 30^th, the staff of the Religion and Diversity Education program at Tanenbaum attended a conference entitled “Muslim Youth in NYC Public Schools” at Teachers College here in Manhattan. The conference was presented by Dr. Louis Cristillo, a Research Assistant Professor of Education at TC, as a launch for the preliminary results of his soon-to-be-released full study on Muslim youth in public schools in New York City.

The day-long event was broken into two halves- a morning of research presentations, and an afternoon of break-out sessions, giving the audience a chance to make sense of the research. The break-out sessions gave the audience members the rare chance to apply what we learned from the study to our own contexts, and provided a space for sharing insights and making connections.

One of the most important reminders offered by the conference was that of the very real toll 9/11 has taken on individuals, communities, our city and our nation. In the wake of 9/11, the media’s portrayal of Islam and Muslims has become more lively and focused than it has been in the recent past. Cristillo’s study shows that Muslim youth in New York City have felt that focus bear down on them as well. According to Cristillo, only 4% of New York City’s Muslim youth are in private religious schools, with the remaining 96% of the population attending public schools. His research shows that 1 in 10 students in NYC public schools are Muslim, and that the students in his study experienced significant changes in their lives after the tragedy of September 11^th. Now, seven years later, he seeks to find ways that educators and the public school system can learn to better serve Muslim youth and to recognize the diversity of opinion and experience among them.

The Religion and Diversity Education program here at Tanenbaum foregrounds the importance of understanding the needs of students from all backgrounds, and we offer links here to Cristillo’s work, as well as that of Dr. Michelle Fine of CUNY Graduate Center and Dr. Selcuk Sirin of NYU as resources for educators who would like more information about this often-overlooked student population. We’d love to hear your responses to the work, and ways that you will use it to inform your practice!

• Dr. Cristillo’s study- “Religiosity, Education and Civic Belonging: Muslim Youth in New York City Public Schools“
• Dr. Michelle Fine’s homepage
• Dr. Selcuk Sirin’s publications page (features a number of PDFs)

Around the Web: Religion and Diversity Education

Have some time on your hands? Take a minute to read up on some of the news of the week concerning religion and diversity in the educational sphere. Around the Web is a feature that brings together a variety of recent articles that address the issues of religion and diversity and their places in education (public and private)!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these links!

February 21st is International Mother Tongue Day! Celebrate!

Diversity education bill proposed in California after school shooting.

Florida State Board of Education rules that evolution is a “theory,” not a fact, that should taught in Florida schools.

“Bill of Responsibilities” to be taught to secondary students in South Africa, highlights respect for diversity.

Durban, South Africa school denies admission to Sikh boy based on his appearance.

Economic Diversity @ Stanford- the university will now offer tuition breaks to families with incomes under $100,000.

The number of multiculturalism courses being offered in high schools and colleges is on the rise.

For information on Tanenbaum’s programmatic offerings in Religion and Diversity Education, check out our trainings and curricula!

Vision of the Peacemakers

Last week, as communities across the United States remembered and celebrated the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., I couldn’t help but think about the Peacemakers.  Dr. King was a man who drew upon his faith to reach millions with a vision of nonviolence and equality.  The Peacemakers, too, carry that vision.  They are Christians, Jews and Muslims, whose peace work reflects the diversity of religious beliefs within the Abrahamic traditions, as well as a key shared objective - building peace with one’s neighbor.   

Nearly three months ago, the Peacemakers gathered in snowy Sarajevo for their third Working Retreat. They came together from around the world as clergy and lay leaders, women and men, local heroes and national figures.  They brought unique knowledge and experiences from 13 distinct armed conflicts, where they each take great risk to end suffering and build a foundation for peace.  They may not get the recognition rightly given to Dr. King, but they’re remarkable just the same.  

Three months later, I’m still thinking about Father Reid’s first-hand account of mediating behind the scenes of the Northern Ireland conflict.  Or the stories that emerged when Bill talked about his work with the tribes of Southern Sudan, and asked what rituals from our own religions or cultures could be used to promote peace.  Or the healthy debate on whether or not certain conflict resolution techniques apply in different contexts, which followed James and Ashafa’s description of their interreligious work in Nigeria.  Not to mention the both intense and hilarious stories that were swapped over steamy Burek or Cevapi in the cozy restaurants within Sarajevo’s Stari Grad (often my favorite part of the day)! 

Dr. King reminds us of the power of just one individual who dreams that peace is possible, and who is brave enough to follow that dream.  I feel thankful for the Peacemakers, and the many others like them, who share that dream and call to action.  They have much to teach us.

What are we doing here?

What exactly are we going to be doing here at Moving Beyond Differences? Hopefully, we’ll be starting up some interesting conversations and making connections. But for now, we thought it would be helpful to put this blog in context and explain a bit more about what you can expect to find here.

All our programs - conflict res, workplace, education, special programs - do a lot of training, presenting and public speaking. There’s usually a lot to talk about (once you create a safe space for people to discuss religion, you open the floodgates - no one wants to stop!). Almost inevitably, you’ll bring up questions and issues that we may not have time to explore as much as we’d like in the interest in making sure the group has the opportunity to cover all the material we have.

That’s where Moving Beyond Differences comes in. While we’ll always hang around to continue an unfinished conversation with you, the issues you bring up are probably issues that other people in your position - be you an HR specialist or 2nd grade teacher - are interested in too.

We’ll bring those questions and issues here and give you our take on them. Hopefully, you’ll get involved in the comments and provide your perspective, and we can have a conversation that will enrich us all.

Look out for an upcoming post on navigating the “December Dilemma.” In the meantime, use comments to let us know what you’d like to talk about.