Victoria’s Islamic schools: facilitators of Islamic identity construction?

Abstract

In recent times the popularity of Islamic schools in Australia has become of notable societal and academic interest. The research study unpacks the complex processes Muslim students in Victoria’s nine self-identifying Islamic schools go through in the construction of their religious identity. The study also examines experiences of belonging, exclusion and religious identity construction of young Muslims. The research intends to understand how the schooling of Muslim students fosters development of an Islamic identity among students in Victoria’s Islamic schools. The research adopts an in depth open-ended interview model as the preferred methodology. An open-ended interview model intends to privilege the knowledge and ‘voice’ of the subject to develop a deeper understanding of the lived reality of Islamic school graduates.