Social Compass 2015, Vol. 62(4) 556–569 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0037768615602149 scp.sagepub.com social compass Islamic schools in the United States and England: Implications for integration and social cohesion Serena HUSSAIN Coventry University, UK Jen’nan Ghazal READ Duke University, USA Abstract Debates over faith-based schools have resurfaced in recent years, due largely to an increase in Islamic schools in the West and concerns regarding their role vis-a-vis social cohesion. Such debates typically occur in the public and political realms, with less academic attention to the issue. This study addresses this gap by focusing on Islamic schools in the US and England. The article draws on extensive qualitative data collected over 20 months at three Islamic schools to understand the experiences of Muslim students and their families. Contrary to popular perceptions, the findings suggest that Islamic schools can facilitate the participation of Muslims in mainstream institutions by equipping them with the cultural capital needed to navigate in non-Muslim arenas. Paradoxically, the findings also indicate that attending Islamic schools does not necessarily translate into greater levels of religiosity among Muslim youth; in some cases it even turned them away from the religion. Keywords faith schools, integration, Islamic schools, Muslims, social cohesion Résumé Les débats sur les écoles confessionnelles ont refait surface au cours des dernières années. Cette situation est due en grande partie à une augmentation des écoles islamiques Corresponding author: Serena HUSSAIN, Coventry University, Centre for Peace, Trust and Social Relations, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK Email: serena.hussain@coventry.ac.uk 602149SCP 0 0 10.1177/0037768615602149Social CompassHussain & Read: Islamic schools in the United States and England research-article 2015 Article by guest on November 25, 2015 scp.sagepub.com Downloaded from