Islamic Education in the United States An Overview of Issues, Problems and Possible Approaches

Abstract

This article, which I intend to be one of a series, will provide analysisof
major issues and problems arising out of attempts to implement Islamic
educational alternatives to American public schooling. The discussion
begins by offering a brief overview of the current dilemma-a
triumvirate of historical, theoretical and practical enigmasconfronting
Muslim schoolmen. A primary question that is common to
Muslim-American school planners is scrutinized through a sub-set
analysis focussing on some relevant and critical concerns to Muslim
educators. From this starting point, future installments in this series
will look at practical cases that are representative of contemporary
efforts in alternative Muslim school planning, design and implementation.
Where We are
Conservative estimates of the number of Muslims in North America
use one million as an approximate figure, two-thirds of whom reside in or
near the major urban areas of the United States. Within this multiethnic
population-800,000 being immigrants, the remainder a rapidly
growing number of indigenous converts-there is a strong cultural
commonality and identity: It is Islam. Islam is a comprehensive code of
life that is expressed in the cultural, economic and social organization of