Leading While Muslim: The Experiences of American Muslim Principals after 9/11 [Paperback]

There has been a sizable amount of research on how 9/11 has had an impact on public school communities, including students, teachers, and parents of Muslim identity. There is however a lack of study on Muslim principals of public schools. This book examines the lived experiences of American Muslim principals who serve in public schools post-9/11 to determine whether global events, political discourse, and the media coverage of Islam and Muslims have affected their leadership and spirituality. Such a study is intended to help readers to gain an understanding of the adversities that American Muslim principals have experienced post-9/11 and how to address these adversities, particularly through decisions about educational policy and district leadership.Debbie Almontaser was the founding and former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, New York. A 25-year veteran of the NYC Public School System, she taught and served as a director in special education and inclusion, trained teachers in literacy, and served as a multicultural specialist and diversity advisor. Currently she is the Founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group Inc and a Professor at the College of Staten Islands School of Education in the Post Masters Advanced Certificate Program for Leadership in Education.

On the afternoon of September 11th 2001 I received a phone call from Dr. Debbie Almontaser, then a student of mine in a principal preparation program. The Twin Towers had just fallen, her son in the National Guard was heading to Ground Zero to help with rescue efforts, and she was being called upon to lead. We discussed her courageous work as an educator--for years she had devoted her practice to building bridges between communities and forging conversations across faiths. Now, she feared, our country's political discourse would turn against her and her Muslim colleagues in education. Her powerful work at that time distinguished her as a thought leader and she was approvedl3'