Exploring the challenges faced by Islamic higher learning institutions in obtaining accreditation

Abstract

The Muslim population is increasing in the U.S. and is expected to be the second largest religious group shortly. The demand for learning Islamic studies and Arabic by Muslims and non-Muslims was behind the formation of several Islamic colleges and universities. Although many Islamic higher learning institutions have been operating in recent years to serve Muslim and non-Muslim students, only one has obtained accreditation. The primary goal of this study was to explore the challenges Islamic higher learning institutions face in obtaining accreditation. This study adopted the case study approach and depended on three data tools: interviews, surveys, and documents collected from three Islamic higher learning institutions. Three participants participated in the interviews, and nineteen responded to the survey. Many documents were also collected from three institutions, allowing the researcher to triangulate the data to achieve better and more accurate results. The results revealed several challenges Islamic colleges and universities face in obtaining accreditation. Among the challenges were financial constraints, retaining faculty, the absence of support by the Muslim community, accommodating students' needs, and misperception of Islam and Islamic institutions. However, biases toward Islamic institutions were denied neither by the accrediting agencies nor by others