Excerpt:
Contrary to expectations – and the fears of many parents -- Muslim youth have generally felt comfortable, safe and fairly content in New York City public schools since the events of September 11th, 2001, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Teachers College. Yet these young people – even those who are not religious -- have been made hyper-conscious of their religious identity.
The results of the study -- Muslim Youth in New York City Public Schools: Religiosity, Education and Civic Belonging –were presented and discussed on April 30th at an all-day conference at Teachers College.
About one in 10 students in New York City's public schools is Muslim – more than 100,000 in all. More than 600 Muslim and non-Muslim students in public and private schools were surveyed for the Teachers College study, which also included focus groups and ethnography. The study found that Muslim youth in public schools have high self esteem, perform well or better academically than their non-Muslim peers and are active in extra-curricular activities. The vast majority (95 percent) report that some, most or all of their school friends are non-Muslim, while seven in ten non-Muslim students surveyed reported that some of their friends are Muslim.
Yet the post-9/11 environment has heightened the value of Islam as a marker of identification for Muslim students.