Leadership has been a foundational component of any society, religion, culture, and human development. The purpose of this study was six fold: to examine the concept of leadership in Muslim communities in America, to observe the first-generation Muslim Americans’ perception of Muslim leadership in mosques and community centers, to examine the practice and beliefs of Muslims in America, to view the social interaction of American Muslims within their community, to view the mentorship and leadership aspects of first-generation Muslim Americans in their community, and to inspect the marriage and cultural aspects that are practiced by first-generation Muslim Americans. This study was conducted through a qualitative case study of 15 first-generation Muslim American college students and professionals from around the United States. The participants’ responses and the literature suggest that Islamic leadership has failed in America for the first- and second-generation American Muslims. Four themes emerged as relevant to the participants’ identity formation in the Islamic leadership in America: promoting Muslim youth to the leadership positions in Islamic centers, marriages in the Muslim community, mentoring Muslim youth to pursue higher education, and adapting to the new lifestyle of a Muslim American living in the United States.

Through a comparative study of two Atlanta full-time Muslim parochial schools, this study examines Muslim approaches to Islamic education by analyzing school leaders' secular and religious goals, their main obstacles and concerns, and what they believe the best practices are. The study explores leaders’ visions of socialization and community development by juxtaposing findings from two schools. In order to answer the aforementioned questions, this study 1) assesses national trends in K-12 Islamic parochial schools across the United States through related research, 2) engages Muslim leaders from both institutions through semi-formal interviews, and 3) supplements findings through an extended period of participant observation.

Through a comparative study of two Atlanta full-time Muslim parochial schools, this study examines Muslim approaches to Islamic education by analyzing school leaders' secular and religious goals, their main obstacles and concerns, and what they believe the best practices are. The study explores leaders’ visions of socialization and community development by juxtaposing findings from two schools. In order to answer the aforementioned questions, this study 1) assesses national trends in K-12 Islamic parochial schools across the United States through related research, 2) engages Muslim leaders from both institutions through semi-formal interviews, and 3) supplements findings through an extended period of participant observation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study aims to examine American Muslim well-being and social capital in the face of Islamophobia. Ecological frameworks and social capital theory were synthesized to provide an approach for research, analysis, and social work practice. A mediation analysis was conducted to test the mediating effect of cognitive social capital on the relationship between structural social capital and distress. The paths of structural social capital, cognitive social capital, and distress were conceptualized using the ecological framework of Berkman and colleagues. Special attention was paid to how experiences of Islamophobic discrimination affect cognitive social capital and distress. Structural social capital was operationalized as the number of active memberships in civic organizations; Cognitive social capital was operationalized as trust in major institutions such as schools and the local police and Distress was operationalized using the Kessler Distress Scale. It was hypothesized that an increase in structural social capital would show a decrease in distress with cognitive social capital mediating the path. Results showed that cognitive social capital mediates the relationship between structural social capital and distress. However, an inconsistent mediation was found where an increase in cognitive social capital shows a decrease in distress, but higher levels of structural social capital show an increase in distress. Lastly, the results of the analysis were interpreted to inform current interventions with the American Muslim community through a social work lens.

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Dans l’histoire religieuse des États-Unis, la féminisation des dénominations protestantes a constitué un processus long et progressif. Cette féminisation a été caractérisée par la participation croissante des femmes dans les institutions religieuses, en tant que fidèles mais aussi en tant que leaders religieux. Bien que l’islam soit considéré comme une religion minoritaire récemment transplantée aux États-Unis, des indices tendent à montrer qu’à l’instar d’autres religions transplantées dans ce pays, comme le judaïsme réformé et le bouddhisme, les institutions islamo-américaines connaissent un processus de féminisation. L’émergence d’une théologie féministe islamique depuis les années 1970, communément appelée « féminisme islamique », et le développement d’un militantisme de terrain, plus particulièrement depuis les attentats du 11 septembre 2001, ont contribué à la féminisation de l’islam. Les militantes musulmanes américaines revendiquent une visibilité dans l’espace public et dans le champ religieux islamo-américain. Quels sont leurs revendications, leurs défis et leurs stratégies ? Quels sont les facteurs internes et externes qui ont conduit à la visibilité croissante des femmes et la focalisation autour de la problématique féminine au sein de l’islam américain ? Comment, de façon concrète, la participation croissante des femmes transforme-t-elle les institutions islamo-américaines, les croyances et les pratiques ? Voici certaines des questions que nous soulevons dans notre thèse. Les résultats sont notamment basés sur une étude qualitative exploratoire (entretiens semi-directif et observations participantes). Nous mobilisons également les données d’une étude quantitative sur l’inclusion des femmes au sein de l’espace cultuel publiée en 2013, afin de mettre l’accent sur les transformations du champ religieux islamo-américain. / In American religious history, the feminization of Protestant denominations has been a long and gradual process. This feminization has been characterized by the increasing participation of women within religious institutions, not only as worshippers but also as religious leaders. Although Islam is considered to be a newly transplanted minority religion in the United-States, there are indicators revealing that, like many other transplanted religions in the United States, such as Reform Judaïsm and Buddhism, Muslim religious institutions are undergoing a process of feminization. These indicators have included the development of an Islamic feminist theology since the 1970s onwards, commonly called "Islamic feminism", and the emergence of a religious grass-root activism, more significantly since the 9/11 attacks. American Muslim women activists claim visibility in the public sphere and within the US Islamic religious landscape. What are their demands, challenges and strategies ? What are the internal and external factors that have led up to the growing visibility of women and women's issues in American Islam ? How specifically has the increased role of women affected American-Islamic institutions, beliefs or practices ? Those are some of the questions we raise in our thesisThe results are based on a fieldwork (semi-directive interviews and participant observation). We also use the data of a report on the inclusion of women within the American mosque published in 2013. The transformations linked to the increasing women’s participation in the mosque are emphasized.

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