Eid al-Adha, 2003

February 12, 2003

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limusl123127973feb12,0,7375710.story

On February 12, 2003 Newsday reported that "for most members of Sharaara Rahman's family, Eid ul-Adha was a day begun with morning prayer at a mosque, then celebrated with feasting on dishes of korma and curried meats... Sharaara, however, like many Muslim students enrolled in public schools, felt obliged to spend most of yesterday in class. The alternative would have been to observe this major Islamic holy day, but then be counted absent from school... Sharaara, who is secretary of her class, and about 30 other students have petitioned their school, asking that Muslims be given consideration on their major religious holidays similar to that already accorded Christians and Jews... Central Islip school authorities are considering the request, and Sharaara, 15, has published her views on the op-ed page of the student newspaper. Administrators note that their high school is one of the most diverse on Long Island - a place where students speak 21 different languages, and where Muslims constitute the second-largest religious group, after Christians."