There’s a school in Reston, Virginia that embraces all identity. It’s called Al Fatih Academy and it’s an Islamic-based school. They teach on their faith, but their biggest goal is to send their students on to high school as well-rounded and empathetic individuals.
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The school invites representatives of different religions to talk about their faiths and to promote friendly, down-to-earth dialogue with the kids. They aim to bridge the gap between Muslim and American identities to show that the two work great in tandem.
For example, through rigorous academics on American rights and responsibilities, volunteering and civic involvement is very important. One teacher threw a Wild West-themed party, complete with an alcohol-free saloon, hot dogs and beans, and a pretend campfire.
Fateeha Syed, a student at Al Fatih, told NPR, “Here we learn to be ourselves … and we go off to public school where we can be ourselves with other people. It gives me the confidence.”
