Dr. Ann Paxton El-Moslimany, Ph.D., who along with her (now late) husband Dr. Mohammad El-Moslimany (1924-2003) founded the Islamic School of Seattle in the late 1980s which she led for forty years, passed away on January 25, 2021, after a prolonged illness.
Dr. El-Moslimany was a cornerstone of the early Muslim community in Seattle. The Islamic School of Seattle in the early ’80s put into reality her vision of what a truly modern Islamic school would look like, infused with elements of Montessori learning and holistic education. She made the Islamic School of Seattle her life mission such that children of all faiths, racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds could have access to quality education.
El-Moslimany, who had a Ph.D. in botany, was the author of Islamic books and science research papers, had taught in Kuwait University, Kuwait (1984-86) and Seattle Central Community College, Seattle (1986-1990). She was the author of “Zaki’s Ramadhan Fast” (1994) and “Teaching Children: A Moral, Spiritual, and Holistic Approach to Educational Development” (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2018).
Teaching Children is a necessary read for Islamic school educators. In her book, El-Moslimany advocated for teaching the whole child, building foundationally from the concept of tawhid, while also drawing upon fitrah and activism. She commented on the value that an Islamic school can provide to the child in the book, “The time that a child spends in a full-time Islamic school can be thought of as a sort of incubation period if you will, if God wills, give him/her the strength of character to comfortably assume a role in the world in which we live” (p. 23). Yet, she also highlighted, “The ‘ilm we seek to instill in our children cannot be a combination of two diametrically opposed views of life, but a unified vision of the truth” (p. 10), thus reiterating her approach to integrated, holistic curricula and pedagogy.
Former Board Member of Islamic School of Seattle, Tarek Dawoud reflected, “She taught the kids ‘Since God is one, that means all creation comes from Him, all knowledge comes from Him, all people come from Him. There’s no bad knowledge, there are no bad creatures, there are no lower humans.’ In a given unit, the students would be learning about the physics of space and gravity, the Quran verses that talk about stars and the heavens, and then famous Muslim scientists who contributed to the optics of the telescope and close with a science experiment to fire a rocket. Just beautiful holistic education where religion and science were not at conflict or taught in separate enclaves. A true pioneer and visionary who was decades ahead of her time.”
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, ISNA Head of Programs, reflected, “Late Sister Ann was a great source of inspiration for Muslim educators all over the country and her community in Seattle for a long time. Her intellectual and financial contributions made many projects possible. She was a strong believer and generous person who had devoted her life to the cause of Islamic education.”
She was the mother of Ahmed Ramsey El-Moslimany, Rasheed El-Moslimany, and Samia El-Moslimany, and a beloved grandmother. She embodied the spirit and practice of integrated, holistic learning and Islamic values, and was a generous servant of Allah, who helped many in her community and beyond. She is irreplaceable, but her legacy will live on in her children, students, and fellow educators. She was a scientist, a teacher, a thinker in education, and an author.
Dr. Ann El-Moslimany is a pioneer in the education of Muslims in the United States. She earned that distinction not merely for founding a school in Seattle, Washington; she is an innovator whose contributions were based upon practice in the classroom and intensive study of educational ideas and research. She shares both her investigations into ideas and her practical experience in this book.
El-Moslimany pioneered the creation of a holistic vision of education, honed in developing integrated curriculum across disciplines infused with Islamic values. The book offers a treasure-house of experience and thought based on what education should be, built upon a solid foundation in the history of education in the modern world and in the United States. On the other hand, she demonstrates with her work that Islamic (or Muslim) schools can offer more than a veneer of identity over a standard-issue edu-cational model. Her book, like the school in which she worked for years, provides a model of what an education should be. If Muslim schools would cease to be viewed as exotic outposts of parochial education, or institutions that just happen to teach the three R’s alongside religious indoctrination as some outsiders like to portray them, then their value in fostering holistic education could begin to be appreciated. It would also become a source for renewal in modern education overall if such ideas as she puts forth are
This obituary will be published in the Islamic Horizons March/April 2021 issue.