ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the historical role African American Muslims have demonstrated in fulfilling their religious and commonsense obligation to take responsibility for the education of their children and community. It presents Islamic education as a model for human freedom and community empowerment. The Encyclopedia of American Education defines education in two ways. Education is: the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and values that permit an individual to function and make decisions perceived as self-enhancing; and knowledge acquired through formal instruction. Islamic education is an integral part of the history of the African American experience. Culture and spirituality, which normally are sources of inspiration and beauty for a people, have been appropriated, manipulated, and misdirected and are now the primary vehicles of destruction. Various models of Islamic schools serve this diverse community and those established by immigrant Muslims are increasing throughout the United States.
