ICNA: What is the Council on Islamic Education (CIE)?

CIE: CIE was founded in 1990 as a national, non-profit research institute and resource organization. It is made up of Muslim academic scholars of religion, history, education, and other fields, and a small professional staff with expertise on U.S. education, civics, politics, the media, faith communities and other components of American society and the institutional system. CIE’s mission is to support and strengthen American public education as the foundation for a vibrant democracy, a healthy civil society, and a nationally and globally literate citizenry. CIE draws upon civic, ethical, and educational principles in Islam to do so in accord with U.S. constitutional and foundational ideas. What distinguishes CIE is that we employ a contributory approach that relies on existing institutional mechanisms for effecting change. Therefore, CIE does not lobby policymakers, publishers or educators or take any sort of advocacy role on behalf of a membership or constituency. Rather CIE focuses on providing information that may be useful to the education community and respecting the due process that is part of the American institutional system.Most of CIE’s efforts focus on the K-12 level. CIE’s staff conducts unprecedented, top-notch research on important trends related to teaching about world history and related subjects, thereby joining the national discourse. With the help of affiliated scholars, CIE provides consulting services to textbook publishers and other content designers. CIE produces teaching units, lesson plans, and other resources for teachers, many of which are available on our website (

www.cie.org). CIE also conducts teacher training workshops through partnerships with universities and school districts.

ICNA: How is CIE’s work relevant to the Muslim community, then, if it works on the institutional rather than grassroots level?

CIE: Well, first of all, Muslims around the nation might be interested in CIE simply because it is an American Muslim organization, and because it is the sole national organization working in mainstream U.S. education. Over the years, CIE has become a valued member of the education community, and is a source of information on a variety of topics related to teaching about religion and world history, which of course includes the academic study of Islam and Muslim history.I think what is most significant, however, is that as an organization CIE’s decade-plus experience confirms what many of us have not fully understood, and that is that Muslims have a place at the American institutional table. We don’t have to demand to be included in the conversation, nor do we have to prove to others how “American” we are. The Constitution guarantees our place at the table, and it’s time that we understand that better. It’s not others so much as ourselves who need to be convinced. So long as Muslims make an effort to contribute and help our society for the benefit of all Americans, not just any one group, then the entire climate will continue to change, regardless of whatever geopolitical developments are taking place around the world.CIE’s experience, which is based on addressing the needs of others (policymakers, publishers and educators in this case) rather than our own so-called needs or agenda, is a practical example of how Muslims can be part of the national conversation, rather than outsiders. It is also a practical implementation of certain Islamic teachings, such as being accountable to the land that provides one’s sustenance, and having the giving hand rather than the receiving hand. We believe that the right to benefit from America’s openness is coupled with the responsibility to make a lasting contribution to our society.

ICNA: How does CIE approach the issue of public versus private education as represented by full-time Islamic schools?

CIE: This is an interesting question. Certainly, like any community that wishes to inculcate a set of values and behaviors along with an academic curriculum, Muslims would naturally do so via their own schools, and there are more full-time Muslim schools being established all the time. This is a positive development, especially if Muslims recognize that to be an “Islamic” school it takes more than adding some deeniyat and Qur’an studies to the curriculum. The “Islamic” nature of the institution should become evident in all areas of study, but not simply through a naive effort to simply “Islamize” the curriculum. Furthermore, study of the humanities and social sciences must be appreciated as much as math and sciences, in order to reflect a truly Islamic approach to integrated knowledge. Equally important for a school to be “Islamic” is for methods of governance to reflect shura and the interests of parents and teachers. Despite the term “parochial” which is often applied to private religious schools, an “Islamic” school should be far from parochial and “Muslim-centric”—it should be as universal as possible, creating a comfort zone for Muslim and non-Muslim students and faculty. Only then can such institutions truly reflect principles of divine origin.At the same time, we feel it is important for Muslims to share in the collective American civic responsibility to support public education. Certainly Muslim families can decide whether or not to send their children to a public or private school, and support the development of Muslim schools, but at the same time it is important for community members to be aware of the larger context and to work to ensure that the best ideals of public education are reinforced.CIE’s own work has been oriented towards public education at the K-12 level. After all, it is a fact that most Americans learn about world history, geography and world cultures in middle school and high school, and very few study these subjects after that. In part, we hope to help cultivate critical thinking skills and empower students to better understand the world, as well as America’s unique and important role in global affairs. Even the majority of Muslim schoolchildren study in public schools, so they also benefit from our work.

ICNA: How is Islam covered in public school textbooks?

CIE: Some people know the story of how CIE was established. Shabbir Mansuri’s daughter Aasiya was a sixth grader in 1988 and her textbook discussed Islam and the Muslim form of worship (salat) by describing “how the Bedouin pray.” Mr. Mansuri took an interest in the institutional mechanisms that determined how textbooks were produced by large corporations and approved by state officials based on how well the books conform to state curriculum requirements. He learned that the process is remarkably open and that there is a system in place that can be responsive to constructive input. He then established CIE to serve as an academic resource that the education community could turn to for assistance.Once publishers and educators nationwide came to know of CIE, they became accustomed to seeking our input. Much of the inaccuracies that existed in older textbooks and materials were the result of authors, editors, and teachers not having a reliable resource to check information or solicit alternative academic perspectives. They tended to utilize sources that were of varying quality or that were outdated, and they were susceptible to popular misconceptions or biases. We gave them access to primary sources and solid scholarship. What is clear is that there was no particular conspiracy or concerted effort to misrepresent Islam or Muslims. Many errors were due to a lack of access to contemporary scholarship that has superceded older, Orientalist approaches to world history in general and Islamic history in particular.By being involved on a long-term basis within the education community, CIE has been able to maintain a respected role in the conversation on how to teach about the world and world religions. For example, since the late 1990s, virtually every state has drafted standards for teaching world history that publishers must use to write new textbooks. CIE has studied the standards and published reports that help policymakers and publishers understand the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to world history and how they are reflected in the standards. No other American organization, Muslim or otherwise, has contributed in this manner to raise the bar that all of us now have to meet and exceed. Setting new benchmarks in this manner automatically results in the improvement of coverage of Islam and every other world religion in the context of studying world history.

ICNA: Is there anything in CIE’s experience that may be of benefit to Muslim schools?

CIE: One of the things CIE emphasizes in its teacher training is the difference between teaching religion and teaching about religion. The former is devotional and often prescriptive while the latter is academic and descriptive. This distinction is rooted in the guidelines for teaching about religion that are recommended for public schools. These guidelines have been developed by the First Amendment Center in Arlington, VA, a non-profit that interprets the “no establishment of religion” clause of the U.S. Constitution to provide a framework for teaching about religion and for accommodating religious needs of a diverse student body.While private schools, including Muslim schools, may wish to instruct all or most of its students in a particular faith tradition, it still behooves these schools to become familiar with the guidelines for teaching about religion, which should be implemented in history-social science courses, especially when covering religions other than Islam. This would ensure that those faiths are presented as the practitioners of those faiths understand them, and eliminate the potential for polemics that would undermine the academic approach to the subject matter as required by the state standards and curriculum.The First Amendment Center has started a program by which certain schools can be designated “First Amendment Schools” (

www.firstamendmentschools.org). These institutions demonstrate mastery of the guidelines mentioned above. The center seeks to enlist both public and private schools in the program, and CIE would encourage Muslim schools to find out how they can participate in the program.

ICNA: Do you have any advice for Muslim parents or community members?

CIE: As everyone knows, it’s very important for parents to be closely involved with their children’s education. We’d like to encourage parents to read their children’s textbooks and other materials, in order to understand what is being presented. If there is a book or other material that causes you concern, meet with the teacher or principal of the school. Be there to serve as a resource, not to make demands. Usually there are reasonable solutions or alternatives, if you do your homework.Parents should know that there are now policies in place in most states that ensure reasonable religious accommodation for students of any faith. Thus, Muslim students can expect to be able to wear hijab or other religious attire without hindrance, to be provided a space to make prayers, and to be excused from school on Eid days, for example.In general, participation is the key. We want to encourage parents to become involved in parent-teacher organizations and as volunteers in schools, interacting with fellow Americans and expanding everyone’s mindset for the benefit of all.