Columbia's Teachers College Report About Muslim Students in NYC Public Schools

8/8/2019 Columbia's Teachers College Report About Muslim Students in NYC Public Schools

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Acceptance, Not Exclusion: A Case For Muslim Holidays

in New York City PublicSchools

A report for The Coalition for Muslim School Holidays

Report by:New York Civic Participation Project

New Settlement Parent Action Committee Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

With Support Provided by The Muslims in NYC Project of Columbia University



Summary

N ew York City is home to over 600,000 Muslims, about one-quarter of the national Muslim population. Every year over 100,000Muslim students and their parents in New York City public schools1 areforced to make a difficult choice between two fundamental rights:

education equity and free exercise of religion. The current Chancellor’sRegulations, while excusing students for religious observance, do little toalleviate the impossible choice parents must make either to send theirchildren to school or keep them home to celebrate the most significantMuslim holidays with family. These regulations are further inadequatebecause they marginalize Muslim students and provide inadequateprotections for Muslim students against discrimination.

Furthermore, it is vital that the New York City Department of Education recognize these Muslim holidays because doing so would senda powerful message that Muslims are a valued part of the diverse New

York City community. In the post 9/11 environment, Muslims in New York City continue to experience aharsh environment of harassment and racial profiling. Muslim children in New York City public schoolsremain especially vulnerable and face an increasingly hostile social environment, both inside and outside of school. This intolerant backdrop makes it an especially difficult setting for Muslim children and theirparents to feel welcome and free to observe their religion, as many do not want to risk being singled out.

The Coalition for Muslim School Holidays is adiverse city-wide coalition of over fifty-five labor,religious and community organizations that arose out of the shared concern over the experiences of Muslimparents and their children who have to make this difficult

choice between educational access and religiousobservance. Muslim and non-Muslim parents all over thecity grow increasingly frustrated by these discriminatory practices that continue to marginalize Muslim students. The Coalition is calling on the New York City Department of Education to stop requiring Muslimstudents to exercise their religious rights at the expense of their access to education and officially incorporate twoimportant Muslim Holidays, Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha,as school holidays.

On January 10th of 2006, a statewide test was

scheduled on Eid-Ul-Adha, one of the holiest days in theMuslim calendar. There was wide-spread community advocacy challenging the testing schedule. Senator Sabini introduced a bill that was recently passed toprevent scheduling of state mandatory examinations on religious holidays in the future.2 This is the firststep in the right direction but this is not enough. The failure of New York City Department of Education

1 Iftitikhar Ahmad & Michelle Y. Szpara, Muslim Children in Urban America: The New York City Schools Experience , 23 J. OF MUSLIM MINORITY

AFFAIRS 295 (October 2003). 1 MUSLIMS IN NEW Y ORK CITY PROJECT, COLUMBIA UNIV ., MUSLIMS IN NEW Y ORK CITY (2005).2 Press Release, John D. Sabini, N.Y. State Senator, ‘No Testing on Holy Days’ Law Goes Into Effect (Sept. 4, 2006),http://www.nyssenate13.com/press_archive_story.asp?id=817.

“Applying the theory of cultural pluralism, itcould be stipulated that in order to participate in American civic life, to educate children in the

secular public schools, and to seek bettereconomic opportunities, Muslims must not be

treated differently from other groups.”

“These students believe that misperceptions andnegative stereotypes about Islam and Muslim values are pervasive in schools, and they feel

that they are affected by them.”

“These Muslim children would like to seeschools fostering a positive image of Muslims by establishing connections with the larger Muslimcommunity and celebrating Muslim holidays.”

“Muslim Children in Urban America: The New York City Schools Experience”

by Iftikhar Ahmad and Michelle Y. Szpara



for Muslim students to feel free to practice their religion. With 95% of Muslim school-age children inNYC attending public schools,7 a large number of Muslim students are potentially subjected to direct orindirect forms of discrimination that inhibit access to an equal education.

According to a report by the Muslims in New York City Projectat Columbia University, in these post-9/11 times, Muslim studentsperceive the school environment and society more broadly, as

increasingly intolerant of their religious identity. Today, many Muslimimmigrant parents and their children feel that American society viewsthem as a despised, racialized “Other.” And for African-AmericanMuslims—numbering as many as 100,000 in NYC—the racialization of Muslim Americans creates a double dose of discrimination. Many of these distressing problems and the factors that cause them go largely unreported and unresolved. Similarly, the Asian American Legal

Defense and Education Fund and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee are documenting the discrimination and harassment issues that Muslim students have faced in New York City.

Inadequacy of Religious Accommodation for Muslim Students

Under ChancellorRegulation A-630, “studentsmay not be discriminated againston the basis of their religion andschools must make reasonableaccommodations for students tobe able to exercise their religiousrights.” Students can beexcused for missing school onreligious holidays as long asthese requests are made in writing prior to the religious holiday. Under this regulation, Muslim studentsare still marginalized and discriminated against.

While the regulations allow for certain religious accommodations, at times even properly presentedrequests for accommodation have been denied, as documented in various incidents over the years. Forinstance, in 2004 Brooklyn International High School, where Muslim students made up a third of theschool’s population, would not excuse 20 to 30 Muslim students to take two hours of time off to attendFriday mosque services for Ramadan. Students were similarly denied permission the year before.8 TheNew York Civil Liberties Union wrote to Chancellor Joel Klein of the Department of Education toexpress their concern that this episode demonstrated that “the Department of Education often fails toensure that its policy guidelines are, in fact, understood and followed by all New York City schoolpersonnel.”9

7 MUSLIMS IN NEW Y ORK CITY PROJECT, supra note 1.8 Jen Brown, Denied Time Off for Ramadan, Brooklyn Students Start Petition , N.Y. TIMES, Oct. 14, 2004, at B4; Davidd M. Herszenhorn, Time Off Is Given for Ramadan For Students at Brooklyn School , N.Y. TIMES, Oct. 15, 2004, at B29 Letter from N.Y. Civil Liberties Union to N.Y. City Schools Chancellor (Oct. 14, 2004),http://www.nyclu.org/nycschool_muslim_101404.html.

“When I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York I wasmade fun of in school because I was Muslim. Teachers wouldalways give me a hard time and I felt discriminated against wheneverI needed to take time off for my holidays. I felt ashamed. I was notashamed of being Muslim, but they shame you – they make you feeldifferent.

--Simone J., SEIU Local 32BJ member and Grandmother



Given the post-9/11 anti-Muslim atmosphere, Muslim parents areoften hesitant to risk further singling outtheir children for possibilities of harassment or discrimination by excusing them from school

to observe their religion. Students alsoreport experiencing humiliation andintolerance for revealing they areMuslim and sometimes do not opt toexercise their right to an excusedabsence. Many teachers andadministrators are not aware of theholidays or are familiar with the Islamictradition, making it even more difficultfor students to be excused on these days.

Many Muslim parents and

students are also unaware of their rights for religious accommodation. For those Muslim immigrantparents who may know their rights, having to submit a request in writing can be difficult when they havelimited English proficiency.

Although the Chancellor’s regulation allows for students to have an excused absence on Eid, thisadversely affects the performance of over 100,000 Muslim students. Research shows that attendance iscritical to a student’s learning and ultimate goal of attaining a diploma. Each day a student is not exposedto instructional materials or activities cumulatively affects that student’s ability to keep up, move to thenext grade and in high school accumulates credits for graduation. In addition, there is a direct correlationbetween student attendance and how a student performs on an exam.10

In addition, Muslim parents and students also testify to the fact that an excused absence for Eidprevents a student from attaining a perfect attendance record.

The current regulations leave Muslim parents and students with having to make difficult choices between two fundamental rights:education equity and free exercise of religion.

The Facts

The difficult choice that Muslim parents and students arefrequently forced to make was especially emphasized on January 10,

2006, when statewide school testing kept Muslim children in New York City from celebrating Eid-Ul-Adha, one of the two holiest Muslim holidays. This exemplified thechild’s dilemma between attending school for vital testing or remaining true to one’s faith.

As a result of advocacy efforts, state legislation introduced by State Senator John Sabini wasrecently passed to prevent scheduling of mandatory state examinations on religious holidays. However, thelegislation only covers state testing, and signals the first step in a more comprehensive policy that

10 Jose Blackorby & Renee Cameto, Changes in School Engagement and Academic Performance of Students , in ENGAGEMENT AND ACADEMICS; DanielR. Marburger, Does Mandatory Attendance Improve Student Performance? , 37 J. ECON. EDUC. 148 (2006).

"Fourteen years ago City government made a

bold statement in favor of recognition of the diversity of

New Yorkers, by formalizing recognition of the

Muslim holy days through inclusion of them under the

laws governing suspension of alternate-side parking.

Today in the post-September 11th worldthat need is just as urgent as it was then. Muslim students

from elementary school through college should not have

to be discriminated against by a system of public

education that denies them equal recognition of their

sacred days of worship."

--Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, Mosque of

Islamic Brotherhood



recognizes Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha in New York City Public Schools. As illustrated above Muslimstudents are a group often marginalized in the public school system. Having schools recognize these twoholidays will not force students to make a choice between education equity and religious freedom.

Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha are two of the holiest days in the Muslim tradition. Eid Ul-Fitrcelebrates the end of Ramadan, the sacred month of fasting. Eid Ul-Adha celebrates the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. “Eid,” means celebration. Students can not attend school on Eid because services

for Eid usually start around or before 9 AM. The rest of the day is spent celebrating with family andmembers of the community. The Eids are a period of festivity, feasting, giving and sharing, as Muslinfamilies come together, visit with relatives and friends, and exchange gifts. The spirit of the Eids iscomparable to the Christian holiday of Christmas.

The current school calendar closes school to observe the following Christian and Jewish holidays:Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and Passover. As recently as 2005,Brooklyn and Queens public schools closed for Brooklyn-Queens Day or Anniversary Day.11

The way these holidaysfound themselves into the NYCpublic school calendar have no

shared origins, but rather thehistory shows that there is no setcriteria for how the Departmentof Education determines whichholidays to recognize. TheDepartment of Education actsarbitrarily when it does not recognize Muslim Holidays but recognizes Christian and Jewish Holidays without a set standard. Christian Holidays are traditionally recognized in schools across the country. Jewish Holidays were recognized in the early 1960s because of the high percentage of teachers who were Jewish at the time.

Anniversary Day has its roots as a Protestant holiday that commemorates the organization of Sunday Schools and became an official holiday when the borough of Brooklyn was incorporated into thecity before the turn of the century.12 This holiday is even officially sanctioned by the New York Statelegislature and codified under § 2586 of the State education law.

Policies that Promote Education Equity & ReligiousFreedom

The New York City Department of Education, headed by Chancellor Joel Klein, sets the yearly public school calendar in accordance with federaland state holidays and regulations. The New York City Department of

Education has the authority to incorporate Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha as official school holidays.

New York City would not be the first city in the nation to incorporate Muslim Holidays into the schoolcalendar. Public schools in other cities have shut down for the Eid holidays. In Dearborn, Michigan, where there is a large Muslim community, public schools have been closing for Eid since 2001. Many

11 See, e.g., The School Year Calendar for 2006-2007, The School Year Calendar for 2004-2005. 12 Editorial, It’s Not Just Brooklyn-Queens Day Any More , QUEENS G AZETTE, Mar. 1, 2006,http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0301/Editorial_pages/003.html.

“I wanted to take Eid off to celebrate with my family. I

told my teacher about it, but because it fell during finals that year,she just said "Either you take this test or you'll fail theclass…. It's really unfair because Eid is a holiday”

--Sharzina, Student at Cutis High School



cities in New Jersey with large and growing Muslim communities also close for Eid, including Irvington, Atlantic City, Trenton, and Paterson.

The Department of Education requires that schools must be in session for at least 180 days every school year. Under the current 2006-2007 school year calendar, grades 1-6 are in session for 189 days,grades 7-8 are in session for 188 days, and grades 9-12 are in session for 185 days.13 Under the currentcalendar, there is plenty of room for two Muslim school holidays. Therefore, the NYC Department of

Education should move to incorporate Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha into the school calendar beginning 2007-2008 without reservations.

Similar religious accommodation for Muslim students has been supported by the New York Statelegislature. In April 2006, a bill was introduced in the New York State Senate by State Senator John Sabinito amend the education law to avoid scheduling state mandated examinations on religious holidays. Thelegislation was passed unanimously and went into effect for the 2006-2007 school year.

Senator Sabini has recently introduced bill number S3142 in the State Senate which amends theeducation law to designate the Muslim Holidays of Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha as school holidays in theCity of New York. Members of the State Senate can support the rights of Muslim students in publicschools by supporting this bill to ensure its passage. In addition, members of the State Assembly can

support education equity and religious freedom by co-sponsoring this bill and also ensuring its passage.

The Campaign for Muslim School Holidays

The Coalition for Muslim School Holidays was formed shortly after thousands of New York City Muslim public school students wereforced to choose between taking a mandatory, statewide test on January 10, 2006 or celebrating Eid-Ul-Adha with their families. The coalitionincludes over fifty-five labor, religious, community and advocacy organizations which advocates for equal access to education that does notfurther marginalize the Muslim student population in New York City. The Coalition formed out of a shared concern for Muslim students and

families who are unfairly discriminated against by the refusal of the New York City Department of Education to recognize Muslim holy days as school holidays.

Since forming in 2006, the Coalition has engaged in numerous activities including:

• Holding public educational forums with Muslim and

non-Muslim community members.

• Sending thousands of letters from institutions, students

and parents to Chancellor Klein.

• Holding press conferences to share with the wider

public the difficult predicament faced by Muslim students.

• Generating hundreds of phone calls to the Chancellor and

Deputy Mayor to request that schools close on Eid.

13 The School Year Calendar for 2006-2007.



Voices from the Community

Negative stereotypes and misperceptions about Muslim values are pervasive in schools and Muslimchildren are greatly affected by them.14 This produces an uninviting environment for Muslim students tocomfortably and freely observe their religion. The below testimonials reflect how the Department of Education, in refusing to recognize the Eids as school holidays, forces a difficult choice between religiousobservance and educational access and continues to harm Muslim students and parents.

Testimonies

Sharzina H.

My name is Sharzina and I go to Curtis High School in Staten Island. I am amember of Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP!) of the Coalitionfor Asian American Children and Families. My junior year, I wanted to take Eidoff to celebrate with my family. I told my teacher about it, but because it fell

during finals that year, she just said "Either you take this test or you'll fail theclass." So, I went to school on Eid to take this test, and went home right afterthe test. It's really unfair because Eid is a holiday that you want to spend withfamily and friends. If you have school that day you will still have other prioritiesto juggle, even though theoretically you can get the day off as an excusedabsence.

Simone J.

My name is Simone and I’m a member of SEIU Local 32BJ. When I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York I was made fun of in school because I was Muslim. Teachers would always give me a hard time and I

felt discriminated against whenever I needed to take time off for my holidays. I felt ashamed. I was notashamed of being Muslim, but they shame you – they make you feel different. Now my grandchildren are

also having a hard time – not as hard of a time I had, but still it is hard. My granddaughter got a lowergrade than she deserved on a paper because she turned it in late – after Ramadan. The teacher said that the

paper was an A+ paper, but she got a lower grade because it was turned in late. My grandchildren don’t want to be absent – they want perfect attendance. They want to do well in school.

Shamina R.

My name is Shamina R. I am a member of South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!) and a sophomoreat Baccalaureate School for Global Education. All my life it has been “Do I go to school or not on Eid?”Some days I do, some days I don’t, but many others and I are fed up.

14 Muslim Children in Urban America: , supra, note 1.



I have celebrated Eid with my family and missed school for the past two years. Before, we had to wait until the weekend to have a party because I have so much schoolwork to do. I try to stay home asmuch as I can but the workload is a lot heavier now that I am in high school and it is difficult to keep up if I stay home.

My teachers say my absences on Eid won’t get counted, but I don’t know if I should believe that.It’s the students’ responsibility to find out what they missed and to make up the work. When I miss a test,

I don’t get a grade. That might seem better than getting a zero, but when you average your grade there’s areal difference between who took the test and who didn’t.

How is this fair? I miss classes, lessons and homework and am left to make it up on my own time,giving me more work to do. I also get marked absent which is put on my record. Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul- Adha are religious holidays that should be recognized and respected.

Mira D.

My name is Mira D. and I am a member of SEIU 32BJ and the New York Civic ParticipationProject. Times haven’t changed much since I was a kid going to school in New York in the 1960s. My parents were immigrants. They migrated to New York City in 1962 from Eastern Europe. Back then, my

mom would keep me home from school on Muslim holidays such as Eid. My teachers would ask my mom the next day “Why wasn’t Mira in school yesterday? What holiday is this? We don’t see it on theschool calendar! Mira will be counted as absent for missing school.” Getting counted as absent wasn’t the worst part – I also missed tests, which I had to make up later. If I couldn’t take a makeup then I’d get a“0” mark and my overall grade average would go down. Sometimes, the school would have scheduledfinal exams or statewide testing – on those days I would have to go to school even if it was Eid since there were no make up exams given! My family felt very bad on those days – as though we weren’t important – that we didn’t count.

Other kids at school used to act like I was strange. They would tease me by saying “You just wantto play hooky! It’s not really a holiday!” Some other friends who were Muslim would go to school anyway

and not mention they were Muslim. But my mom was proud and felt that it was important that weobserve the holidays.

Eventually I had 3 sons. Their stories are just like mine – maybe worse. My sons had a difficulttime growing up – they were teased and misunderstood at school.

On Muslim holidays when I kept my sons home, I would feel guilty. All my sons used to getcounted as absent on those days. This was hard on them because they really wanted to get the perfectattendance awards.

The hardest part as a mother was to have to get called into school the day after the holiday – to be made to feel like we weren’t important – like we didn’t count. This country was founded by

settlers who were fleeing religious persecution. Why can’t I celebrate my holidays like everybody else? Ihope my grandchildren will have it better than my sons or me – I don’t want them or their families to feelguilty or different – I dream that someday they will be able to enjoy and celebrate our holidays!

Bakary C.

Hello. My name is Bakary C. I am a representative of theGambian Society of New York. I am a board member withNorthwest Bronx Community and Clergy coalition and a member with New Settlement Parent Action Committee. I am a father of



three school age children in the Bronx – 8, 10 and 12 years old. My children must take time from schoolduring each Muslim holiday.

I believe the city must recognize the Muslim community as a vibrant force in the city and helpsupport our family structure. We are a very religious and family oriented people. We spend time with ourchildren praying and feasting together and to deny Muslim children the right to pray with their family during Eid is to push us to a corner.

Recognizing the Muslim Holidays is nothing new in America, the holiday is currently recognized inother cities in the USA and we know taking these two days from school will not be detrimental to theeducation system. Though, when our children are absent from school it is detrimental to their learning. We know the importance of attendance and the direct correlation between absenteeism and success inschool. At this point the focus of our political climate is on children’s education.

Currently, children can be excused from school with a note to celebrate their holiday. We know anabsence is an absence, whether excused or not. The point is a child will not recover what is missed thatday. The child will have in his/her report card 2 days absent and even if there is no homework for the day,they will miss an important part of class. If the grade average is based on attendance and performance it iscommon sense that a child with 100% attendance will have a higher average. Muslim children will always

fall short because they have to take two days off, whether the absence is excused or not.

As a parent I would like my child to have the same rights as all children in New York City. As acommunity member this concern is just as important as any other concern for the members of the Muslimcommunity. I would like the Mayor to highly consider this very important issue – The goal of the city should be to educate all of NYC’s children. We want equal rights and equal participation.

Hasan P.

My name is Hasan P. I am a member of SEIU 32BJ and the New York Civic Participation Project. I have 5 kids – they all went through the

New York City schools in Brooklyn and Queens. My kids never missedreligious holidays. They would get counted as absent on those days. Theday after the holiday I would have to write letters to the school explaining why they were absent.

In the beginning, I would say they were sick. My kids weren’tcomfortable with the lying. They would say “…our holidays should becounted as official holidays. Why do we have to hide? Isn’t this a freecountry? Why do you have to write a letter?” I didn’t want my family to be

identified as Muslim – what if my children were harmed in some way by the other kids – what if they werephysically attacked? At that time, the media showed Muslims as criminals, terrorists, suicide bombers!

Kids judged each other by what they saw in the media. They didn’t ask if what they were reading was thetruth. In the last few years since September 11th, things have been bad for us Muslims. Many people say they hate us and want to take revenge on us. But I think God wants us to share things – to cooperate.”

My youngest daughter came home one day and said “Dad, I don’t feel American,” because she wastold she had to attend school on Eid-ul-Fitr or be marked absent.

Nowadays, I say the truth in my letters. With my 2 youngest I started saying that it’s because of religious observance that my child is absent. My children should be proud of their tradition and their



family, just like other children. That is why it is so important that they also have their holidays in theschools.

Nur A.

My name is Nur A. I am a member of SAYA! and a sophomore at Bronx Science High School. Ihave to go to school every Eid! This really affects my association with my family and religious customs

because I want to get good grades. Everyone else in my family has time to pray and celebrate this religiousholiday while I go to school. I can’t even celebrate afterwards or help prepare the night before because ontop of going to class on that holiday, I have tests and homework to prepare at home.

Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha definitely should be recognized as school holidays. It would not behard to do either, because they only occur two times a year! Please take this into consideration and putthem on the school calendar as days off so that students like me can spend that time with their families.

Lamin J.

Hello. My name is Lamin J. I’m from Gambia and I live in the Bronx. I am a student at HostosCommunity College in the Bronx.

I came to the United States four years ago and enrolled at Hostos in 2004. While in Gambia, I hadalready completed two years of my college education. Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain credit for thecoursework I had already completed in my country. After enrolling at Hostos, I noticed that the schoolsystem in Gambia was quite different than that in the United States. While students enjoyed Jewish andChristian holidays in the U.S., Muslim holidays were not observed. For the last two years on Eid-Ul-Fitrand Eid-Ul-Adha, I have had to miss several hours of important lectures because I needed to go to pray inthe mosque. These holidays invariably fall during the year when school is in session. This has meant thatI need to scramble to catch up by borrowing notes from my classmates or reading the material from the

textbook and hoping it is not too different than what my professors discussed inlecture.

As a Muslim, I feel that I have the right to observe my religious holidays without being forced to miss college. That is why I am joining the campaign toincorporate Muslim holidays into the New York City school calendar.

Shujaat K.

My name is Shujaat K. and I am a member of the New York CivicParticipation Project. I am originally from Bangladesh and now I live in Queens.I have 2 kids – a 10-year-old daughter who is in 5th grade and an 8 year old son who is in the 4th grade. They both attend elementary schools in Queens. Both

of them are good students – they have high scores and study hard. My family is Muslim.

We all want to celebrate the Eid holidays together as a family. Normally I write letters to theschool principal and teachers the night before Eid stating that the next day my child will not be at schooldue to a religious observance. Some teachers understand my children need to celebrate with their family and others don’t.

We are all supposed to go to the mosque and pray together in the morning on Eid. My kids loveto go to school but on the Eid holiday they get confused – they don’t know what to do. They worry aboutthe tests and assignments they will miss. The schools say that my child can have an excused absence on



Eid, but my children’s records show they are counted as absent – there is nothing to indicate they wereobserving a religious holiday. This affects their attendance record. I myself get confused!

So at least for the last 5 years I have been writing these letters to my children’s principal andteachers – they know we have this holiday. So why did they schedule statewide testing on Eid last year?Both of them had statewide testing scheduled on Eid. They wanted to go to school – they didn’t want tomiss the test - so that’s what they did. I spoke to the principal – he said it’s not in my hands, which is true.

We were all so confused and sad. My kids were at school like a regular day – I picked them up at 2:30pmas usual. I was so angry – it was a big mess. Normally we celebrate together all day.

There are 14 kids in my daughter’s class who are Muslim – that’s almost half her class! Thosechildren don’t go to school on the Jewish holiday, but have to go to school on their own holiday if they want to keep perfect attendance records. This does not make any sense. My children get worriedsometimes because they say that if they don’t have perfect attendance records, they will not get into thehigh school of their choice. This is not fair.

At Christmastime in school here, there’s so much celebration. During Eid, there’s nothing. Theschool does nothing to make my children feel that their holiday is important.

Florah H.

My name is Flora H. I am a public school teacher in Manhattanand also a member of the New York Civic Participation Project. I oncescheduled a test on Eid-Ul-Fitr because I didn’t know about it. Ieventually found out and gave my students three days to make it up. The problem is that other teachers didn’t know about the holiday andmany Muslim students ended up having to make up all theirassignments and tests that they had for other classes they missed thatday.

The reality is that most teachers are not aware of Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha as sacred andsignificant holidays for Muslim students. The Department of Education does not make it known to us.On Yom Kippur we are asked as teachers not to give assignments or homework during that time off becausestudents fast and it’s difficult for them to complete. If the schools ask to make religious accommodationsfor students who already have a holiday recognized, doesn’t it make sense to give the day off to students who are not given any religious accommodation?

In schools where I’ve worked with a high percentage of Muslim students, the drop in attendancerate during the two holidays is dramatic. The city is losing a lot of state aid when over 100,000 studentsmiss school. If the holidays were given to all students, we could avoid this and many other problems.

Kamrun N.

My name is Kamrun N. I am a member of SAYA! and a sophomore at Bronx Science High School. The New York City Public School System should definitely close school on our Muslim Holidays. On Eid,my school is practically empty, despite it being open. No one goes to school, including myself. We have tomake up our lessons later if we choose to stay home. It is always a problem because my family and I areunable to celebrate Eid properly because of the fact that I have to go to school.



There’s always a debate in school about whether school should be closed or not because so many studentsare absent. The multiple requests of the teachers to make Eid a national holiday and close schools have nothad any effect. It would be great if more people could take our Muslim Holidays into consideration andhelp make this change so that we don’t have to choose between our education and our religion.

Mohamadou T.

Hello. My name is Mohamadou T. I am a member of New Settlement Parent Action Committee.I live in the Bronx and I have three children in New York City public schools. Two attend PS 63 and oneattends PS 70. In the last few years all my children have gone to school during the two most importantMuslim Holidays. The children were not happy to miss their celebration and miss the opportunity to visiteach other’s homes. The children were crying and there was a sense that they were losing their culture andnot feeling Muslim. Our mothers and fathers did not have to force us to go to school, because this is ourholy day and the government recognized these days.

I have lived 14 years in this country and enjoy the freedoms of this nation. There are many Muslims that are choosing to live in this country. Muslims are good people, our religion give us a sense of self. The religion helps us to protect family values, it teaches children not to fight, to no use drugs ordrink alcohol, it teaches respect for elders. The religion allows us to educate our children, to teach them

discipline through fasting and self-control. The religion helps us to keep problems away in ourcommunity. We believe it takes a village to raise a child and we do this through family and our culture.

We believe in community and not being separate. When we cannot celebrate Eid together itdeteriorates the family, our culture and beliefs. During the holidays we eat together and celebrate together.It is like a Christian child celebrating Christmas – it is a very important holiday. We should not have tomake our children choose between their family and school.



Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why can’t Muslim children attend school on Eid?

A: Services for Eid usually start around or before 9am. The rest of the day is spent celebrating

with family and members of the community.

Q: The Constitution prohibits our government from endorsing a religion or interfering in

religious affairs. Wouldn’t it be unconstitutional for the Department of Education to close

schools on Muslim holidays?

A: Government agencies may not endorse a particular religion, nor may they convey a message

of disapproval. Recognizing Jewish and Christian holidays, but scheduling testing during

Muslim holidays despite the number of Muslim students in city public schools implies a

preference for Jewish and Christian theology.

Q: If schools close on Eid, would the department have to extend the school year longer into the

summer in order to make up for the extra closings?

A: Schools are required to have 180 days of classes a year or risk reductions in government

funding. Most schools in New York City already hold classes for more than 180 days so adding

these two holidays to the calendar wouldn’t create a need to extend the school year.

Q: Doesn’t the school allow Muslim children to take an excused absence for Eid?

A: Although the law requires that New York City public schools “make reasonable

accommodation for students to be able to exercise their religious rights,” Muslim children are

still disadvantaged because of missed lessons or tests that they have to make up. For example,

on January 10, 2006, statewide school testing kept Muslim children in New York City from

celebrating Eid-Ul-Adha.

Muslim students in NYC have also historically faced discrimination in the public school system,

particularly since 9/11. Despite the significant percentage of Muslim students who attend public

schools, they continue to face problems in having their absence recognized because of generallack of awareness about Muslim holidays and religious practices by public school administrators.



Maps

* Map Provided by The Muslims in NYC Project of Columbia University

* Map Provided by The Muslims in NYC Project of Columbia University



The Current Members Of The Coalition Are:

• 32BJ, SEIU

• ACORN

• Al-Razi School of Queens

• American Friends Service Committee

• American-Bangladesh Friendship

Association

• Andolan (Organizing South Asian

Workers)

• Arab-American Family Support Center

• Asian American Legal Defense and

Education Fund

• Astoria Islamic Center

• Aurora

• Brooklyn-Queens for Education

• Coalition for Asian American Children

and Families

• Council of Peoples Organization

• Desis Rising Up and Moving

• Faith of America

• Families for Freedom

• Gambian Islamic Society

• Gambian Society of New York

• Greater New York Labor-Religion

Coalition

• The Harlem Shura

• Islamic Center at NYU

• Islamic Circle of North America

• Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx

• Islamic Cultural Center of New York

• Islamic Fallah of America

• Islamic Leadership School in the Bronx

• Islamic Unity and Cultural Center

• Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

• La Voz Latina

• Latin American Integration Center

• Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council)

of NY

• Make the Road By Walking

• Masjid Al-Ham-dullilah

• Masjid Al-Hikmah

• Masjid Aqsa

• Masjid Baitul-Mukarram

• Masjid Manhattan

• Masjid Noor

• Masjid Omarr

• Masjid Uthman bin Affan

• Masjid Wahab

• Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood

• Muslim Bar Association of New York

• Muslim Student Association

• Muslim Student Association at Hostos

Community College

• National Alliance of Latin American and

Caribbean Communities

• National Employment Law Project

• New Immigrant Community Empowerment

• New Settlement Parent Action Committee

• New York Civic Participation Project

(NYCPP)

• New York Immigration Coalition

• Northwest Bronx Community-Clergy

Coalition

• Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum

• Professional Staff Congress-CUNY

• South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow

(SAALT)

• South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!)

• Tawhid: The Center for Islamic Development

• UNITE-HERE Local 100

• United Federation of Teachers



What Can You Or Your Organization Do?

Join The Coalition!

Fill out and fax the endorsement form on the opposite page to: Attn: Zahida Pirani, New York Civic Participation Project,

212-388-3210.

Ask your State Senator or State Assembly Member to supportSenator Sabini’s bill number S3142.

NY State Assembly Switchboard: 518-455-4100NY State Senate Switchboard: 518-455-2800

For more information on the Campaign contact: Angelica Otero, New Settlement Parent Action Committee,

718-716-8000 x140Zahida Pirani, New York Civic Participation Project, 212-388-3664

Khin Mai Aung, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, 212-966-5932 x219



Your organization can help by joining the Coalition for Muslim School

Holidays!

ENDORSEMENT FORM

________ YES! Our Organization endorses the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays and the

Coalition’s demand to include Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha in the school calendar as holidays!Please sign us onto letters supporting the Coalition.

We can help by: _____ Signing onto the letter to NYC Department of Education

Chancellor Klein

_____ Arranging a meeting at my mosque, synagogue, church orreligious center

_____ Attending coalition meetings regularly

_____ Mobilizing our base for actions

_____ Collecting letters and testimonies from parents

_____ Collecting letters and testimonies from students

_____ Other (Describe :____________________________________ )

Organization Name: _______________________________________________________

Contact Name: ______________________________Title: ________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________Fax: __________________ E-mail:__________________

Muslim Students Should Not Have to Choose BetweenCelebrating Religious Holidays or Attending School!

FAX THIS FORM ATTN: Zahida Pirani: 212 388-3951

Columbia's Teachers College Report About Muslim Students in NYC Public Schools

Documents

Transcript of Columbia's Teachers College Report About Muslim Students in NYC Public Schools