Muslim Students in Public Schools

According to the 2010 United States Religious Census, Texas leads the nation in the size of its
Muslim population. However, Muslim students in Texas public schools are faced with the
possibility of being mocked or harassed based on their different religion and culture. Texan
Muslim parents are now discussing different schooling options due to an anti-islamic sentiment.
Anti-Islamic sentiment has been surfacing in schools across the country. In Tennessee,
Republican lawmaker Sheila Butt proposed a bill to ban teaching religious doctrine in public
schools, earlier than the tenth grade, after parents complained about Islamic world history
lessons.
Yasir Chughtai attends Nueces Mosque and has lived most of his life in Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia. He personally moved to the United States in 2003 to attend college at Texas A&M
University. He says the Texas curriculum is secular, but post 9/11, Muslim parents are discussing
the futures of their children more than ever. Homeschooling and Islamic schools are serving as
alternatives to public education.
Chughtai says, If Muslim parents are deciding to take their children out of public schools, it is
either because of their sons name or their daughters physical appearance.
Kids take things seriously. They say what the want. They are innocent. Whatever is at their
home, theyre going to learn it, Chughtai said.
Muslim parents are aware of anti-islamic sentiment in public schools. The potential for mockery
and bullying is a threat that many take into consideration when registering their children for the
upcoming school year.
Abeer Syed is Muslim mother of two elementary school children. However, she home-schools
one daughter while the other continues to attend public school in Round Rock Independent
School District. After experiencing hatred at a public anti-Muslim demonstration on the steps

of the Texas Capitol, Syed said she felt angry that someone has the right to bully her and her
children.
Someone was protesting my existence, and that led me to fear taking my children to school.
One of Syeds daughters started to voluntarily wear a hijab in the fourth grade. The daughter
experienced one incident of bullying at Blackland Prairie Elementary School in Round Rock.
Syed recalls another student pulling her daughters headscarf off of her head.
I just thought that my daughter goes to school with 900 other students there is bound to be
some hateful people, Syed said.
After a brief discussion with the schools vice principal, Syed made the executive decision to
homeschool her daughter. The combination of Islamophobia, concern with safety, and the
inappropriateness of some students prompted Syed to pull her daughter out of public schools.
I heard language beyond a fifth graders years, and I did not want my daughter exposed to that,
Syed said.
The administrative staff at Blackland Prairie Elementary school has not commented on the
incident.
A four-year-old Muslim boy attends a public pre-kindergarten class in Round Rock ISD. His
mother, Gabriela Orta, says she is happy with the school district and its diversity.
The teaching curriculum is secular and they don't refer to holidays as Easter, Halloween,
Christmas. I am very happy about this, Orta said.
Although her son does not receive a unique Islam education, she says it is a Muslim parents
obligation to educate his or her child at home about Islams history and culture.

This process is a big obligation and might be more stressful than what other cultures experience
in the U.S. considering it is acceptable and encouraged to openly display Islamophobia even by
presidential candidates, Orta said.
Both Syed and Orta agree that Muslim parents, who have children in the public school system,
have an additional obligation to teach them pride, self-esteem, and dignity.
We have an over-time job of being teachers, Orta said.
Although Chughtai does not have any children of his own, his relatives experiences greatly
impacted his view on public schools. After 9/11 he says there has been an increase in hatred
toward Muslim students.
Chughtais cousin was six-years-old and living in New York with his family when 9/11 occurred.
After the attacks, the family moved to Houston and students started bullying Chughtais cousin at
school.
They started bullying him because of his name. Osama is a common name in the Muslim
community. And unfortunately, a boys name is the easiest way to define him as a Muslim,
Chughtai said.
Osamas parents brought the bullying to the attention of the administrative staff at the public
school. The principal and vice principal suggested to change Osamas name to Sam. The
parents took the advice and introduced Osama as Sam at his new school in Houston.
Since then, Sam has legally changed his name and has experienced no hatred in the public school
system.
Chughtai says children are innocent and would believe what they see in the media. He adds that
non-Muslim parents are scared of what they do not know.

If a white man kills a group of people, he is automatically labeled as psychologically

disturbed. If a Muslim man hurts someone, and doesn't kill, his action is automatically labeled
as an act of terrorism, Chughtai said.
Chughtai adds that the main problem regarding Muslims and non-Muslims is the
miscommunication.
It is part of a circle of society. One point the Mexicans were looked down upon. The Polish
were looked down upon. The Irish were looked down upon. It is now our turn to integrate back
into American culture, Chughtai said.