Monroe-Woodbury mulls Islamic holidays

After meeting with students of Muslim faith last spring, officials at Monroe Woodbury School District are considering adding Islamic holidays to next year’s school calendar, Superintendent of Schools Elsie Rodriguez said last month.

“In June, we had a young man by the name of Zayed Kadir ask us to add to the calendar Muslim holidays,” Rodriguez said at the Aug. 16 Board of Education meeting. “We talked about the fact that the calendar for this school year had already been done, so what I discussed with him was that we would take a look at the following year.”

Kadir, who just began his sophomore year at Monroe Woodbury High School and personally addressed the issue before the Board of Education at its June 14 meeting, said he and fellow students Bisma Malik and Sowa Joarder, both juniors, approached school officials about the issue after overhearing a group of parents discussing the matter during last April’s Eid celebration.

Not a choice a student should have to make

“Some of the parents were lamenting the fact that Monroe-Woodbury does not give off for Islamic holidays such as Eid but a school district like Newburgh does,” Kadir said. “They seemed concerned that their children may be placing more importance on going to school rather than their faith. I have heard stories of kids whose parents made them attend school on Eid, as well as students who chose to celebrate and consequently missed important exams. The choice between attending school for a crucial test and celebrating a religious holiday should not be one that students have to make.”

Kadir said Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan with a feast and gift giving and explained that the second Islamic holiday – Eid al-Adha – takes place months after the first Eid and commemorates the story of Ibrahim, also known as Abraham.

Both Eids involve a morning congregation at a local Mosque and a communal prayer.

Major religious holidays in the Christian and Jewish faiths, such as Christmas and Yom Kippur, are recognized as days off on the school calendar.

The dates of the holiday are not fixed

Part of the challenge that comes with adding a holiday such as Eid to the calendar, a template of which is produced by BOCES, is that Eid’s date changes every year.

“The dates (of the holiday) float,” Rodriguez explained to the board. “One year the holiday could be in March and one year it could be in June. They shared with me some tentative dates, so it is hard for me to create a calendar. I told him that the next time I will meet with him about this is in January when the calendar committee gets together and makes those decisions.”

Kadir, who helped deliver to the school district a petition consisting of more than 200 signatures from the Monroe-Woodbury Islamic Center supporting his efforts, said he and his peers look forward to future meetings with Rodriguez and others.

“I am interested in what they decide for next year,” he said. “The school district recognizes the growing Muslim population. Not just Newburgh, but New York City and many districts in Westchester are off on both Eids. I know Middletown is also considering it.”