Sweden: Muslims in upper-secondary schools, their orientations and struggle for recognition

The University of Gothenburg published a new doctoral thesis which examines how Muslim students in upper-secondary schools (gymnasium) experience their education, and how their experiences influence their educational strategies, such as choice of school. It includes an abstract as well as a summary in English of its main results and conclusions.

The study is based on interviews and observations at an upper-secondary school where a large proportion of students identify as Muslim, many of whom have a foreign background (either being born abroad or having 2 parents born abroad). It shows that Muslim students experience challenges as members of a religious minority in Sweden, dealing with prejudice based on religious identification and background, and that these experiences impact their interactions with teachers, social relationships, and educational strategies. As a result, Muslim students are more likely to apply to schools in suburban multicultural neighbourhoods where they feel that they receive recognition both from teachers and peers for their religious identification, and as learners and individuals.

In a comment, author of the study Christopher Ali Thorén explains that when Muslim students talked about their thought processes while applying to upper-secondary school, they often spoke of avoiding vulnerability. Based on their own and others' previous experiences, they felt that they would be more exposed to racism and Islamophobia in inner-city schools, where there are few or no other Muslims.