Three experienced educators share their perspectives
By Nora Zaki Mantas
May/June 2023
Many Muslims hold strong opinions about Islamic schooling. Unfortunately, many parents often feel they must choose between a public or private school’s rigorous academics and an Islamic school whose secular curriculum may require some strengthening. I asked three experienced Muslim educators what they believe is the best option for our youth.
Susan Labadi is an experienced middle and high school instructor, administrator, consultant and founder of Genius School, Inc., which provides thought leadership through writing, editing and social media promotions for clients. A Waldorf educator for over 20 years, Anjum Mir’s reflections focus on the Waldorf school’s spiritual component of education, what it means for Muslim students and applying the Waldorf experience in Islamic education. Habeeb Quadri is the superintendent of the Muslim Community Center Academy (MCC) Academy in Skokie, Ill.
Susan Labadi
Labadi fell into Islamic education accidentally. While living in Palestine with her family, her children’s school principal asked her to teach social studies and Islamic studies. When she and her family returned to the U.S., Labadi volunteered to be a substitute teacher at her children’s Islamic school. After earning her certification as well as a master’s degree, she taught several social studies and psychology classes for students in the sixth through twelfth grades.
During her internship, her supervising instructor wondered if she would want to stay there, although a public-school teaching career offered much more in salary, ease and benefits. Labadi recalls telling her that she felt loyalty toward and love for her school, for it had become her “village” in which others could find support and continue to grow their faith in Islam and benefit from its wisdom. In short, she wanted to contribute to this cause.
Labadi has noted various challenges during her career, among them uncertainty about the quality of Islamic education, overwork of staff and the lack of pension or retirement plans.
Going into more detail, she pointed out that although her school had consistently high scores on national standardized exams and acceptances to Ivy League institutions, there was always pressure to prove their worth in secular versus sacred subjects.
As regards overwork, she stated, “Especially in the early years of our school, some teachers had teaching assignments with five different preps a day among multiple subjects and grade levels. Administrators worked seven days a week between teaching, serving as liaisons to the board and parents, committee assignments, handling disciplinary responsibilities, human resources functions, being test administrators, evaluating and training staff and drafting policies.”
Understandably, the failure to provide future financial security resulted in a high level of administrator and teacher turnover. Some excellent talent was lost, and those who stayed remain undercapitalized. Many Islamic school teachers are still paid less than their public-school counterparts.
Other challenges exist, among them the following: building facilities are at full capacity in many schools and raising funds for adding a building or making improvements takes a very long time. Surprisingly, principals aren’t always involved in the board’s budgetary decisions or privy to the budget, although they’re the ones who know how to best manage the resources and are most aware of trends in education. This oversight must be changed.
Labadi believes that the availability of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America (CISNA) and the Islamic Schools League of North America (ISLA), in addition to the Islamic Education Communities Network (IECN) listservs’ unique networking and resource-sharing opportunities, is extremely important for Islamic schools, as is the presence of caring people who can adapt to change quickly. Principals should become more proactive in seeking out community stakeholders’ potential contributions.
Students also benefit. They develop lifelong friendships, foundational knowledge and habits, and a positive Muslim identity; can discuss sensitive topics with adults who share Islam’s guidelines; and can personally experience diversity in their school, learn about the world’s Muslim cultures and nourish their hope for solidarity within the umma.
When asked about her role model(s), Labadi mentioned Abd al-Fateh al-Ghuddah’s “Prophet Muhammad: The Teacher” (2018), which summarizes the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) practices, Abu Zayd al-Balkhi’s “Sustenance of the Soul: The Cognitive Behavior Therapy of a Ninth Century Physician” (2013) and the scholars al-Ghazali, Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari and Hamza Yusuf. In the secular realm, she has always aligned intuitively with William Glasser’s Choice Theory. Labadi’s sister gifted her Matthew Kelly’s “Holy Moments” (2022), which explains how doing good deeds can have a ripple effect for our world and salvation. She tries to read a few pages of Hamza Yusuf’s “Purification of the Heart” (2017) each night and is looking forward to reading Shirzad Chamine’s “Positive Intelligence” (2012).
In conclusion, Labadi shared that she’s excited to see so many young people trying to improve their Islamic scholarship and Arabic. She hopes that all Islamic educators will hone their Islamic scholarship to both guide themselves and help our struggling society; emulate the Prophet’s manner when interfacing with people to foster a better understanding of Islam; and maintain a sense of awe and enthusiasm for sharing that with youth as the curriculum is traversed with an Islamic reverence.
Anjum Mir
Mir, a former journalist, became involved with Islamic schooling by teaching at the high school level. While at California Islamic school she noted that the curriculum was neither integrated — Quran and Arabic classes were separate subjects — nor interwoven spirituality and spiritual foundations.
When asked if this country’s Islamic schools could be improved, she stated that because many schools only want to reinforce an Islamic identity, “Islamic subjects” were just other subjects. She and her husband were even hesitant about enrolling their children in Islamic schools.
Anjum first visited a Waldorf school in Texas and liked its atmosphere — the process of growing up as a human being with an overtly fundamental recognition that every child is a spiritual being growing toward something greater. Inspired by a Christian cosmology coming out of the early 1900s, the Waldorf schools’ founder Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) developed and implemented such a curriculum. Anjum used the term “anthroposophy” (using a human being’s wisdom), which was important for Steiner. Despite his negative opinion of Islam and Muslims, he drew from Islam.
Waldorf teachers view his idea of “the Christ impulse” as the fitra (one’s innate connection to God) and therefore seek to help students reach back to their spiritual light through nurturing and keeping their connection to God clear. During early childhood, teachers focus on helping them adjust and grow into their bodies as instruments for learning: fine motor skills, integrating reflexes and the body’s various planes. The three R’s are introduced only in the first grade.
Anjum’s parents instilled in her a love of Islam. Her father told her that although she was born and raised Muslim, she had to make the intentional choice to continue to practice the faith by recommitting to her shahada, the testament that there is no God but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger. She is inspired by Prophet Muhammad’s life and appreciates al-Ghazali’s works, especially his focus on the inner dimension of one’s spiritual life. Mir believes that the internal dimensions of belief, rather than an outward, identity need to be emphasized to the youth.
Habeeb Quadri
Quadri says he owes his interest to his parents, who were Sunday school teachers. After he graduated from Sunday school, his father asked 14-year-old Quadri to join him in teaching, become a youth volunteer and help improve the classes. This experience inspired him to become an educator. His parents fully supported his decision to join this field of education.
Quadri defines Islamic education as giving students the tools in a holistic approach so they can become God-conscious individuals who are lifelong learners and productive citizens. The goal is to be successful in this world and in the hereafter with Prophet Muhammad as the guide.
During his 14-year career as MCC’s principal — he is now its superintendent — his goals were to implement MCC’s seven principles and add a few of his own: establishing a strong school governance, climate, culture, community relationships and religious programs with an emphasis on faith in action; supporting the development of teachers; building a sense of belonging, accountability, experiential learning, God-conscious students and staff; and fiscal responsibility, evaluating, reflecting and strategizing.
Quadri says there’s no greater person than the Prophet as a role model of tarbiya (spiritual and moral development), faith and character. He was also influenced by Mr. Earl (his eighth-grade social studies teacher), Kim Marshall (an educator/author), William Glasser (a psychologist), Dr. Tasneema Ghazi (an author/educator), Imam Siraj Wahhaj and his high school coaches Carter and Ray Whitson.
When asked what he wants to see more of from Islamic educators, he mentioned the following: a growth mindset (words and actions), always reflecting on your “Why?” and renewing your intentions; ongoing development (continually improving); building a sense of belonging and positive culture; and focusing on the importance of character in our faith, and love for God, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and all human beings.
In terms of a teacher’s personal qualities, Quadri is looking for faith in action, gratefulness, building empathy, a strong sense of self-identity, as well as social, emotional and mental concerns.
Nora Zaki Mantas is the founder of MyMuslimChaplain.com, a consultation company that offers workshops and services to institutions of higher education, prisons, hospitals, and other places where Muslims are a substantial population but do not have proper representation of their needs. She is also a student at Chicago Theological Seminary studying with Bayan Islamic Graduate School pursuing an MA in Islamic Theology. Nora can be found on Instagram @mymuslimchaplain.
[Author’s note: These interviews were conducted in December 2022]
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