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Atlanta Journal-Constitution - August 24, 2005
Muslims seek days off school
By Eunice Moscoso
Washington --- Muslim parents around the nation are lobbying school districts to add Islamic holidays to the school year, or at least persuade schools not to penalize students for missing school to observe their religion.
Others are asking school districts to let children off early on Fridays or have some time designated during the school day for students to get together for Juma'ah, the most important Muslim prayer of the week.
"It is something that is becoming more and more common as the Muslim population grows and people become aware of their rights," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights and advocacy group based in Washington. "Juma'ah is a bona fide religious practice. It is one of the pillars of our religion."
In Baltimore County, Md., Muslim groups have engaged in a yearlong effort to add the Islamic sacred observances of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to the school's calendar.
Schools in the district close for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and for the traditional winter break that coincides with Christmas, but the Islamic holidays are not recognized.
So far, the quest has not been fruitful…..
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