Architects of change: female Islamic school leaders in Australia & New Zealand

Abstract

ABSTRACT This interpretive study centers the marginalized voices of female Islamic school leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Sharing perspectives on their experiences leading Islamic schools situated in evolving, heterogeneous communities – facing male dominance both within their communities and beyond, in the larger society – these women revealed that their work involves sophisticated conceptual reconciliation as part of nuanced leadership at multiple social levels. Semi-structured interview data enabled the construction of three themes whereby the school leaders described centering student development, balancing the demands of school boards, parents, and wider Muslim communities, and emphasizing intercultural communication with the indigenous Aboriginal and Maori and Western secular-dominant communities. The study echoes extant literature on challenges that Muslim women in leadership face, but it also builds upon that literature in illuminating some unique strengths. With a clear vision of both the challenges and the goals – including to nurture girl students toward leadership of mixed societies – these leaders described drawing from Islamic frameworks of values toward leading Muslim contributions to mainstream society.