Improving the Learning Environment for Muslim Students
CAIR-CA is sending this letter to educators and administrators across California to encourage them to take a proactive approach to safeguarding the learning environment of Muslim students. It is incumbent upon schools and school districts to take proactive steps to ameliorate the effects of bullying and harassment that occur based on actual or perceived characteristics such as religion, race, and national origin. In 2019, Muslim students across the state reported to CAIR-CA that nearly 40% of them were bullied at school for identifying or being perceived as Muslim. This finding was part of CAIR-CA’s biennial anti-bullying report entitled “Singled Out: Islamophobia in the Classroom and the Impact of Discrimination on Muslim Students.” Disturbingly, the report found that nearly one out of three Muslim students did not feel welcomed or respected in school by their peers or educators because of their religious beliefs. The report also found that there was a significant number of incidents in which offensive statements were directed at Muslim students by school administrators and teachers.
In light of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11, it is imperative that educators address the issues outlined above. It is no secret that Muslim students of all ages have been ostracized and mistreated in the past because of their faith and perceived, yet clearly false, association with 9/11. Often, such events manifest in the form of bullying by other students, lack of preventative and reporting measures by school officials, and insufficient training for educators as to how to mediate or de-escalate religious, racial, and ethnically charged bullying. However, in a year marked by social turmoil and a global pandemic, which resulted in a decrease of incidents due to distance learning, we believe that California schools now have a substantial opportunity to “reset” and launch into the 2021-2022 school year on more positive grounds. As normalcy returns, California school districts will need to ramp up their readiness to ensure that they are equipped to handle any resurfacing tensions of in-person instruction. We encourage educators to use the upcoming anniversary to solemnly promote diversity, inclusivity, and mutual understanding in the classroom without furthering the marginalization of Muslim students. Districts and schools should address the Islamophobia engendered by the events of 9/11 through a continuous, honest reckoning with explicit and implicit biases in the classroom and the wider world. Please consider the following best practices when discussing 9/11:
- Be mindful of religious diversity in the classroom and not referring to perpetrators using language that singles out Islam and Muslims;
- Using instructional materials – photos, videos, audio – that are not aimed at inciting emotions and instead clearly meet lesson objectives and goals;
Avoiding stating personal beliefs about 9/11 as facts; - Remaining sensitive to the vulnerability of students with trauma in their lives; and
- Refraining from having students engage in educational activities that stimulate the roles of perpetrators, targets, and bystanders.
To further accomplish the goal of ensuring Muslim students feel welcome, valued, and not singled out or subjected to Islamophobic bullying throughout the school year, we also recommend that your district commits to partner with civil rights advocacy groups and experts who work with these affected communities on daily basis and have the tools necessary to address these issues.
At CAIR, we stand ready to provide the training solutions and curricula suggestions that schools in your district will undoubtedly need to navigate the new challenges that are sure to arise as large influxes of students begin returning to schools for the 2021-2022 school year. Many attempts in the past have been made by school administrators and district boards to mitigate the liabilities that school districts face because of an educator’s cultural incompetence or of a failure to address Islamophobic bullying. Our collaborative programs are aimed at helping educators become aware of their biases and root out the misconceptions that they may be unknowingly promoting to their students. Absent proper training, occurrences of such situations may constitute wrongful conduct under the law and result in violations of students’ rights to a safe and non-discriminatory learning environment. As an organization with many years of experience uprooting racial and religious biases, this is our area of expertise. We can help districts eradicate Islamophobia in their schools and ensure that Muslim youth across the state feel safe and valued in their learning environment.
Effect of Impermissible Biases on Students
Whether an educator is aware or unaware of their biases, when an educator discusses 9/11 and other world events in a way that conflates Islam or Arabs with terrorism or inherent violence, the usual results for students of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (“AMEMSA”) communities are withdrawal from class participation, ostracization/increased bullying, and psychosomatic issues. The same effects may be found when freedom of student expression is stifled by school officials with bias views regarding students who express support for the Palestinian people and their struggle for human rights. We are aware of numerous situations where educators have diminished the viewpoints and insights of Palestinians and those who support their struggle. The biases that teachers and administrators may have can also negatively affect the daily lives of Muslim students and their feelings of belonging at their schools.
For example, during the 2020-2021 school year, CAIR received a complaint involving the suspension of a high school student who advocated for his right to practice his faith during school. The client, an 11th grader of Yemeni origin in the Emery Unified School District (“EUSD”), was accosted by a School Resource Officer while the student was praying quietly in a corner of the school library, despite such activities being protected by state and federal law. After the student’s prayer rug was confiscated, the student was sent to the principal’s office for further discipline. Following that incident, the school announced that students were no longer allowed to pray during school hours. The next day, the student returned to school to learn, but was refused entry, given a notice of suspension, and informed by the school principal to not return. Ultimately, through CAIR’s legal advocacy, EUSD officials agreed to overturn the suspension and expunge the incident from the student’s record. The school further agreed to amend their formal religious accommodation policies and worked with CAIR to establish a series of staff trainings on Islamophobia and implicit bias towards immigrant students of color to better support the district’s AMEMSA students.
Our campaign is designed to help prevent similar incidents from occurring in your district.
Legal Obligation
As you know, all California students have the right to learn in an environment free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected categories such as religion, race, ethnicity or national origin. California’s public schools have an affirmative obligation to combat these forms of bias, and a responsibility to provide an equal educational opportunity. For more information, see KYR for California Students and Parents; and Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices.
Training Resources
Without the proper training, schools in your district may find themselves facing significant consequences because of unconscious biases and civil rights violations. As such, it is our hope that by proactively training educators on better ways to handle sensitive subjects such as 9/11, Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and religion in schools, acts of bigotry and cultural intolerance will have one less place to flourish. This would result in your students enjoying an unbiased education in a non-hostile environment, as is required by law. To this goal, we are ready to partner with your district to ensure that these goals are met.
Conclusion
We would like to work with you to address these issues. Now is the time to prepare with preemptive solutions as schools return to “normalcy”. Our campaign will help you foster and maintain a safe environment of tolerance in your district and mitigate potential liabilities that could arise if religious and cultural incompetence are left unchecked. Together, let us explore ways in which challenging topics and situations can be handled without creating a hostile or dangerous environment for students. I am available to arrange a Zoom meeting to discuss these concerns as well as any potential next steps. We look forward to your response and full attention to these important matters. We have also included a link to a video at the top of this letter that includes the voices of Muslim students and their aspirations for a welcoming and inclusive school environment in their own words.
If you have any questions, you may contact Amr Shabaik, Esq., CAIR-LA Civil Rights Managing Attorney, at (714) 776-1177 or ashabaik@cair.com.
- Click here to watch this year’s “Voice of the Student.” Read the full poem here.