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New York Times - October 7, 2007
More districts closing on Muslim holidays in New Jersey
By Debra Nussbaum
In Paterson, there has been no school on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur for years. But now the schools are also closed on the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr (the end of the month of fasting for Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca).
Prospect Park schools generally close for the first and last days of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha.
Atlantic City added two Muslim holidays to its school calendar in the last three years.
And this year, for the first time, Cliffside Park will close Thursday to observe the end of Ramadan.
With significant demographic changes taking place in many communities, school officials struggle annually with the school calendar. The movement toward Muslim holidays is small but growing in New Jersey.
The shift to Muslim holidays is not widespread in the region, despite sizable Muslim populations in some cities. The school board associations on Long Island and in Connecticut and Westchester said they knew of no districts that closed for Muslim holidays.
But New Jersey, with a Muslim population estimated at 400,000, has been different. Districts like Paterson probably have thousands of Muslim students, said Hani Y. Awadallah, a chemistry professor at Montclair State University and president of the 10-year-old Arab American Civic Organization.
“This is really a trend that is taking off,” Dr. Awadallah said of the school holidays. “I think you will see this across the country.”
Twenty years ago it was not unusual for many districts to have only the Christian holidays on their calendars, and districts with high Jewish populations also took off on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, said Barry Ersek, interim executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.
While the state and education associations do not track holiday calendars in schools, educators agree that many more districts have added Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur in the last 10 years and about a dozen districts have added Muslim holidays.
“It’s based on community needs, and every community is different,” Dr. Ersek said. “You have to be sensitive to your community and their needs. The calendar can be controversial.”
Each year the State Department of Education releases a new list of religious holidays for which students may have an excused absence if they are using the day for religious purposes. The list this year has more than 75 holidays, including All Saints Day, the Hindu Ganesha Chaturthi, Kwanzaa, Passover, Buddah’s birthday and Armenian Memorial Day.
“The list keeps growing,” said Mike Yaple, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association. “Several years ago it was four dozen; now it’s over 70.”…..
PATERSON and Trenton were among the first districts to observe Muslim holidays. Trenton began taking off a day for the end of Ramadan in the early 1990s. Paterson put Eid al-Fitr on its calendar in the mid-1990s. In 1999, a second Muslim holiday was added, said Laura Constable, district spokeswoman. She estimated that 5 percent of the students are of Arabic descent…..
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/07mainnj.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Chicago Tribune - October 3, 2007
Ramadan added to Illinois school's holidays
By Jo Napolitano
Dozens of parents said at an Oak Lawn school board meeting Tuesday night that while they're happy to have a student body of varying religions, they want to keep celebrating what they say are traditional American holidays and customs.
That doesn't mean they aren't open to observing other religions' holidays, the parents told the Ridgeland School District 122 board, which was looking at its policies concerning religious teachings and observances. At issue is whether Christian holidays, such as Christmas, should be celebrated now that Muslim children make up about 30 percent of district pupils.
After meeting for 2 1/2 hours in a closed session, board members decided to keep the district's Christmas and Halloween parties and add a Ramadan celebration.
The debate, which has raged in the community for weeks, was sparked by a parent, Elizabeth Zahdan, who asked that stars and moons be displayed in schools in honor of Ramadan. She was denied and told that schools couldn't partake in religious celebrations.
"I want everyone to be equally acknowledged. I never demanded that no one can celebrate. I never said take Christmas away," Zahdan said at the meeting before the board went into a closed session..
Supt. Tom Smyth said Zahdan raised the issue of fairness. "This thing has gotten so big that the board needs to know the legalities of the separation of church and state and its policies about teaching religion in school," he said before the meeting.
"If you look at our policy, you either teach about all religions in school or remain neutral," Smyth said. "According to our policy, we are to maintain a climate of neutrality within the classroom. We cannot give preference to one religion over another."
Resident Bryan Schapiro argued that long-standing traditions are under attack.
"For a number of years now I've seen something change every year because it goes against Muslim beliefs," Schapiro said. "Traditions that have been beloved by children in America for centuries are now being taken away little by little because the Muslims want the school day, menu and social traditions tailored to their needs."
But resident Khetam Khairallah told the board there's no valid reason to abandon traditional celebrations. "It's a coward's way out when the people in charge say we're going to abandon something because of political correctness," she said…..
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-oaklawnoct03,1,4108134.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
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