As a Muslim, Pakistani-American growing up in New York and New Jersey post-9/11, I often felt like I was between worlds at home and at school. When I was younger, I didn’t have the language or the space to challenge the narratives being written about people who looked like me. What I did have was a growing awareness that understanding religious diversity does not happen by chance. It must be intentionally taught. That awareness is what led me to education.
As an educator, Fulbright Scholar, NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow and participant in religious literacy programs through Harvard Divinity School and the Interfaith Center of New York, I found the language I had been searching for: religious competency.
Religious competency is not about promoting faith or asking students to adopt particular beliefs. Rather, it is the ability to understand how religion and belief systems shape individuals, communities, literature, history and society. It is an academic skill that helps students interpret the world with more empathy and critical thinking.
For New Jersey educators, religious competency should not be viewed as something extra. It is already baked in. The New Jersey Student Learning Standards emphasize communication, global awareness, critical thinking, collaboration and understanding diverse perspectives. Religious competency strengthens all of these.
Today’s students are growing up in one of the most religiously diverse societies in history. Yet, many students have limited opportunities to learn about those traditions in meaningful ways in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. ELA has always been about helping students understand the human experience. We ask students to analyze characters, identify motivations, examine perspectives and interpret themes. Religion frequently influences all of these.
Consider how often students encounter religious references in literature. A character’s decision may be rooted in faith traditions. A setting may be shaped by religious customs. A symbol may carry significance that readers cannot fully understand without cultural context. Entire themes may be connected to questions of meaning, morality, identity, sacrifice or belonging. When students and teachers lack the background knowledge necessary to understand these references, comprehension will be limited.
Religious competency…is about recognizing that identities are layered and that no individual can be reduced to a single characteristic or stereotype.
Educators frequently feel comfortable discussing geography but become hesitant when religion enters the conversation. Much of that hesitation stems from concerns about the separation of church and state. However, the First Amendment does not prohibit teaching about religion. In fact, public schools have a responsibility to do so in constitutionally appropriate ways. The Establishment Clause prevents schools from promoting religion, while the Free Exercise Clause protects students’ rights to express and practice their beliefs. Teaching students about religions as part of literature, history and culture is not only permissible; it is essential for students to understand society.
As an educator, I see religious competency as one of the most powerful tools we can give students to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. In many ways, religious competency is not about religion at all. It is about critical thinking and learning to understand and sit with complexity. It is about recognizing that identities are layered and that no individual can be reduced to a single characteristic or stereotype.
Research suggests that Americans continue to struggle with basic religious knowledge, particularly when it comes to traditions outside their own. These knowledge gaps often create the perfect conditions for stereotypes and biases to be born. Students do not leave these assumptions at the classroom door. They bring them into discussions, reading responses, media consumption and interactions with peers.
Religious competency strengthens literacy skills, supports critical thinking, builds cultural awareness and fosters respectful dialogue. Perhaps most importantly, it helps students see that disagreement does not have to lead to division and that conversation grounded in curiosity can be a powerful bridge between people. In a world that often rewards assumptions and stereotypes, that may be one of the most important lessons we can teach.