Female Muslim Student Experiences in Higher Education

"This powerful volume gives voice to female Muslim students as they articulate their varied experiences within the landscape of equity, belonging and marginalization in higher education. Using narrative inquiry, Drs. Gossai and Rafie elicit stories that reveal the women’s experience of being “othered” and excluded. As one student notes, “In wider society, we are seen as not westernized enough. In the Muslim community, we are seen as too westernized. It’s like we don’t have any judgment-free zones; we’re outsiders no matter what.” These women not only reflect on their experiences but also seek to dismantle generalizations about Muslim women as a monolithic entity. Their stories are deeply moving, and this study fosters the nuanced understanding that true inclusivity requires." —J.K. Daniels, Dean, Inclusive Excellence, Northern Virginia Community College "With its focus on the experiences of Muslim women college students, this book makes an important contribution to discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher educational settings. Importantly, through their ‘personal narratives’ methodological approach, Rafie and Gossai allow Muslim women’s voices to take center stage and be heard clearly and powerfully. Higher educational administrators and leaders seeking to understand, and improve, the college experiences of minoritized students would be well-advised to listen." —Nicole Karapanagiotis, Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Rutgers University This ethnographic study explores the lived experiences and challenges felt by Muslim female students in higher education in the greater District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. It offers narrative case studies as a form of narrative inquiry based on stories of lived experience as a means of capturing dynamic, didactic, and dialectic understandings to promote and enable needed change in higher education. In centering the voices of Muslim female students, this research goes beyond the narrow statistical representation of predefined categories to examine and present the systematic nature and roots of social prejudice. Zahra Rafie is Professor of Sociology at Northern Virginia Community College, USA. Hemchand Gossai is Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Northern Virginia Community College, USA.