Exploring the complexity: The theoretical journey of a novice researcher

Muslim schools in Britain are diverse in various ways but they share similar religious sources and principles. Yet, they may have different perspectives regarding their „right measure‟ when balancing their goals and challenges in relation to the wider social, political, economic and educational structures. Thus, one might ask: Where are these schools heading? What would a school that is truly Islamic within a British context look like? What do parents and children in these schools expect to see and experience? Are these schools building any bridges with the wider context? Answers to these questions increase in importance when the contextual challenges and tensions, within which these schools are functioning, have the potential to frame their individual interpretations of the Islamic. Such questions have not arisen in isolation, but in the process of my personal and professional journey through various contexts and roles. As part of a mixed-methods PhD study exploring diversity in Muslim schools in Britain, this paper presents a narrative account of the theoretical journey I made via these contexts. The theoretical threads and challenges that have influenced that journey have their effect on developing the study's questions and philosophical underpinnings. And for those whose concern is the integration of Muslim children, particularly those educated in Islamic schools, this journey suggests that a reflexive stance within the curriculum may be valued as one that encourages Muslim pupils to build bridges between their faith and their context. In doing so, the article discusses the possible opportunities for finding a space for fusion between Islamic and Western scholarship.