421 J.D. Chapman et al. (eds.), International Handbook of Learning, Teaching and Leading in Faith-Based Schools, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8972-1_24, © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Introduction In this chapter I set out to identify and explore how the values and ethos of a faith-based Muslim school affect practices in learning, teaching and leadership. After teaching at a faith-based school for over two decades, sharing my experiences and thoughts about the distinctive philosophies and challenges have become impor- tant background knowledge in the contemporary era. I share my reflections on how this faith-based school contributes to the democratisation of society and contributes to nation building. This chapter provides a perspective from an educational leadership position using self-reflexivity and documentary evidence as research methodology. My conclusion supports the notion that a faith-based educational institution can contribute positively towards the realisation of a greater good to all and promotes a cohesiveness that is much needed in an ideal democratic society. Teachers who are critically reflective focus their attention both inwardly at their own practice and outwardly at the social conditions … They are concerned with issues of equity and social justice that arise inside and outside the classroom (Larrivee 2008: 343). In the field of teacher education a wave of reflective practice washed over the profession following Schon’s (1983, 1994) reminders about the importance of the link between reflection and practice. Brookfield (1995) reminds us that the literature on reflective practice is important for two reasons. First, it offers a variety of approaches to examining practice in order that we might discover and research some of the taken-for-granted assumptions that influence our approach to practice. Second, it provides opportunities for us to understand the stories of how teachers live through reflective practice, many of which we identify with personally. Chapter 24 A Teacher’s Perspective on Teaching and Learning at a Muslim Faith-Based School in Cape Town Omar Esau O. Esau (*) Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa e-mail: oesau@sun.ac.za