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Teaching Our Children the Value of Others
The New York City Council last week voted to add two Muslim holidays to the city's public school calendar, citing the annual observance of Christian and Jewish holidays. Mayor Bloomberg objects, saying the city isn't obligated to accommodate all faiths: "If you close the schools for every single holiday, there won't be any school." Who's right? In a country with so many faiths, should public schools observe any religious holidays?
I distinctly remember the first time my religious holiday, Eid al-Fitr, coincided with Christmas break. It was the year 2000, my first year as a freshman at Florida State University. Since the Islamic calendar follows a lunar calendar, Eid falls 11 days earlier every year. In the year 2000 (which was 1421 in the Islamic calendar), Eid al-Fitr fell on December 27. Anticipating this holiday for years - during which our religious holiday would coincidentally fall during our school break - my parents whisked my three siblings and me to perform the 'umra (a pilgrimage that is not bound by date, unlike the hajj) in Saudi Arabia. It was an awe-inspiring experience, one that left a profound mark on my development and identity as an American Muslim for years to come.
There is no question in my mind that our 'umra would have been quite different had we not been able to perform this trip during the last ten days of Ramadan - the most sacred days of the year for Muslims. I had spent my Eid holiday in Medina, the blessed city where our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) was buried. Rather than spend my religious holiday hanging out at the mall or hitting the beach with friends, as I typically did back in Florida, my holiday was imbued with a level of spirituality and connection to God that I had never before experienced.
For my family, it was our first and last such trip together - when each one of us was on vacation from work or school. It will be another 32 to 33 years before Eid al-Fitr will ever fall during "winter" break again. For the first time in my adolescent life, - and perhaps the only time in my life - my vacation off from school held the same level of religious significance it holds for my Christian and Jewish peers every year.
Our country's institutionalized preferences for Judeo-Christian traditions are undeniable. Our weekends fall on Saturday and Sunday, which happen to be the primary days of worship for Jews and Christians, respectively. Most of our public schools and institutions of higher learning happen to take their winter and spring breaks during periods of religious significance to both Christians and Jews - such as Christmas, Hanukah, Easter and Yom Kippur. Those who now oppose extending these existing religious privileges to students of other faiths are using double standards. What is the meaning of religious freedom if it doesn't mean extending equal opportunity to the adherents of all faiths?
As someone who knows first-hand the difficulties and inconveniences of celebrating Eid on a school day, I consider it rather tragic that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has threatened to block the City Council's resolution to add the two Eid holidays to the academic calendar. In essence, Bloomberg's decision denies New York's Muslim public school students the opportunity to celebrate their religious holiday in a way that is equal to the way Christian and Jewish students celebrate their religious holidays - in an atmosphere that is void of the stress of missing classes, requesting excused absences from teachers, and making up missed material and exams.
As the number of Muslim students in New York City's public school system has grown to a significant 12%, or more than 100,000 students, it is only natural that New York City begin to acknowledge its growing religious minority and accommodate their religious needs. The issue is not simply one about religious accommodation or appreciation of diversity. It is also about logistics. When 12% or more of a public school's population needs to request 'religious leave' on the same day, it ought to make administrators question whether or not that is really the most feasible way to handle their students' needs. Further, consider the inconveniences it must impose upon teachers when they need to spend several extra hours reviewing missed material and re-conducting exams for nearly 10% or more of their students.
Those who oppose adding 'Eid' to the school calendar, like Bloomberg, say that if we allow Muslim students to have their holiday, then we have to allow every faith to have theirs and then "there won't be any school." The premise of their opposition is flawed, however. Teaching children at a young age that one can respect and accommodate a minority's needs - even when incongruent with one's own - adds far more to a student's learning experience than it takes away.
By
Hadia Mubarak
|
July 9, 2009; 9:29 PM ET
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Posted by: LittleP1 | July 21, 2009 6:27 PM
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Decentdust,
I admit it. I am "petulant" and I am taunting "hapless victims" In the immortal word of your beloved Dick Cheney, "SO?"
I was a "hapless victim" myself of the hateful, hypocritical Abrahamic religions of Catholicism (whose "brother of Christ" molested me at 14 when I tagged along with a Catholic friend to CYA), and of Utah Mormonism (where I saw a friend blow his brains out at 16 because his "loving" family and Church refused to accept that he was gay). Maybe this is why I am such a "petulant child"
Posted by: coloradodog | July 14, 2009 5:31 PM
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Dust,
*Petulant Child*,*hapless victim*,*venomous potshots*,*inane babble*
Is this *Polite Debate*? Is this 1st grade Torment ?
Safiyah,
*When they still children*,let them celebrate Eid Al Adha/Holiday of Beheading.Is this Humanity ?
You talk about *person's humanity*.Burqa/Black Cage.Is this Humanity ?
Swimming with dress.Is this Humanity ?
Humanity means Human Rights.
Humanity means to be Human.*Dogs,Donkeys and Women.....* Is this Humanity ?
Posted by: halozcel1 | July 14, 2009 3:40 PM
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For those that are in search of a quiet debate on this one "forget about it." The venom that is being expressed makes the best case for why the two Eids should be included on the calendar. One of the great things that the public school system does is to acclimatize students to the community that they are a member of. I really doubt that some who have voiced the strong views that they have here would feel the way they do if a friend had invited them to participate in the Eid Al Fitr celebration when they were still children. I think they would have come away with the sense that the negative feelings that they have are just not right-period.
I had the experience of being invited to my friend's Passover celebration and after the wonderful new food was tasted and the open fellowship was enjoyed something more profound happened to me: In adulthood I became uneasy to the point of intolerance with any discussions that began with the words "those people". I knew that those words always prefaced the descent into the dehumanizing of a group people. I also knew that once this essential element of the rage is in place it is not too long before it finds expression in the violence that placed Rwanda or Bosnia on the map for most Americans. All of this murderous energy unleashed and for what you might ask, I guess the answer is “just because”.
Yes, I have differences in belief with those who do not believe as I do but never are these differences turned into denials of any person's humanity. How wonderful it is to be continually in receipt of the gift of freedom from that kind of madness that those accepted invitations brought.
Unfortunately I have come to the disquieting conclusion that some people really don't want to know the person next door or for that matter the person that is just down the street. Their reason for this not wanting to know is the old standard-"just because" and what a terrifying harvest that sentiment brings.
Posted by: safiyah111 | July 14, 2009 2:50 PM
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Coloradodog, you sound like a petulant child, taunting a hapless victim on a school playground.
How brave and mature of you to take venomous potshots at people while hiding behind an untraceable username (no, i'm not putting my name on a messageboard either, but I don't make a habit of reveling in cruelty like some people seem to).
I wonder what the average age is for readers who comment on this forum. The cruel, juvenile insults and inane babble which constitute most of the posts remind me of nothing more than 4th-graders tormenting each other at recess.
Does anyone believe in polite debate anymore, or have we all been set for "kill" by too much Oreilly and Olbermann?
Posted by: decentdust | July 14, 2009 1:26 PM
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Why don't you'al just combine your holidays of Winter and Spring breaks and call them the Bi-Annual-Intolerant-Religious-Festivals of your collectively small and shallow god of Abraham? Then you can join hands, bake, decorate, party, dance, sing, pray, hate, judge, condemn and exclude others together in pleasant harmony. I'm sure Coca Cola would re-write their little holiday commercials for you.
Posted by: coloradodog | July 14, 2009 8:26 AM
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3 comments, 3 red herrings. Nobody commented on her actual argument. They're just here to spew hate.
How anonymity brings out the worst in people...
On the actual topic of this post, it seems logical enough to me that a district with more Muslim students than Jewish students (probably most of the NYC ones in question) ought to allow time off for the 2 or 3 most important holidays, as is done with Judaism and Christianity. Easter and Good Friday are off, Holy Thursday and various feasts are not. Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana are off, Hannukah and Sukkot are not. What's a few days tacked onto the beginning or end of the year to make up for it?
The reason it's playing out this way is that when these school calendars were originally drawn up, the only religions with more than a few followers in the US were Judaism and various forms of Christianity. As we become more diverse, obviously, we will have to make some changes.
Posted by: decentdust | July 13, 2009 5:44 PM
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*Teaching Our Children the Value of Others*(There is not and there shouldnt be *Others* in US,you have to say *we are all Americans*)
Correct.Lets teach *the value(s) of others*
-They can take four wives and whenever they like they can kick women out.
-Two women equals one man.
-You shall bring *four male witnesses* for adultery case(women can not be accepted)
-They curse Trinity(although they dont know what it is),Bible,Second Coming etc.
-They celebrate *Jewish Legend* as Holiday of Sacrifice/Beheading.
-Alexander the Great was a muslim.
-1/6+1/6+2/3+1/8=1.00(it makes 1.125)
-Dont take Jews and Christians as your friends.
-Nine year-old girl can be married.
Dear Researcher,Doctoral Student,
Arab Girl,
You shall not teach *the Values of Others*/Desert Rules,but you shall teach Contemporary Values.
You shall teach American Values.
You shall teach *Two plus two makes four*
You shall teach *Woman-Man Equality*
You shall teach Civilization,not swimming with dress(hashama)
You shall not be *Others*,you shall be an American(it is very difficult task,you can never be an American,perhaps grandchild of your grandchild)
Posted by: halozcel1 | July 13, 2009 4:31 PM
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Hadiah says:
“Teaching children at a young age that one can respect and accommodate a minority's needs - even when incongruent with one's own - adds far more to a student's learning experience than it takes away.”
Well if you know this should you not direct such an advice to the clerics of the failed society from which you had hailed instead of preaching to the choir? Watch the video linked below to see the source of hatred that permeates Muslim societies.
Posted by: abhab | July 13, 2009 3:53 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
Hadia,
Thank you so much for your wonderfully written opinion piece. That is so nice to hear your story of your family going to Mecca and I'm glad that you were able to do this as a teenager and when the holidays all added up. I do find that our holidays are a bit more festive when the entire country is celebrating as well. :)
I also laugh at many of the comments here - I think my favorite is "Eid Al Adha/Holiday of Beheading" I think that these comments show a great reason for teaching better understanding - although people need to want to understand. If they only listen to themselves and other people who don't know much about the topic, they just sound silly in forums like this. I'll take it that the person who posted "Holiday of Beheading" doesn't believe in any of the Abrahamic faiths - or at least doesn't really know the story of Abraham. :)
On the opinion of if we should celebrate the holidays in school - I do think that once the population of a faith group in a school system reaches a particular percentage it is a good idea to consider ways to better recognize the beliefs, but also how to handle those times where people are taking off time for these holidays. Ramadan is heading into the summer now and so that is not much of a concern for school districts (well, maybe for 2 years and then they have several years where it wouldn't fall during the school year), but we also don't make any special acknowledgments of the other faiths and holidays. We can't celebrate all (that is just impractical), but once there is a great percentage, I think it is very valid to respect the children and their family's beliefs with acknowledgment and allowances, as needed, to help them celebrate.