Posted on 11/16/2001 1:22:41 PM PST by sarcasm
Muslims have been pushing for several years to have their holy month of Ramadan acknowledged in the public schools. That task is more urgent this fall because of tensions and curiosity created on Sept. 11, local Muslim leaders and secular educators say.
In response, some local high school classes will tour a mosque during Ramadan, which begins Friday with the sighting of the new moon. A Muslim teacher explained her holiday to her elementary school this week. An interfaith service is scheduled to bring an imam, a Roman Catholic bishop, and rabbi together in front of the students of a Catholic high school. Another school district e-mailed information about Islam to every principal.
WHEN: Ramadan begins Nov. 16 or 17, with the sighting of the new moon. It ends with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of fast-breaking, around Dec. 16. HOW: During Ramadan, Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset. They do not consume food or drink, including water, during daylight. Adults refrain from sexual relations during the hours of fasting. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Typically, Muslims rise early in the morning for a pre-dawn meal. At the end of the day, the fast is completed by eating a meal that includes dates, fresh fruits, appetizers, beverages, and dinner. Later in the evening, many Muslims attend special nightly prayers at their local mosque. Each night during Ramadan, about one-thirtieth of the Quran is recited in the prayers so that the entire scripture is recited in the course of the month. WHY: Muslims believe fasting helps them develop compassion for those who are less fortunate. They say it builds a sense of self-control, which helps them to resist temptations. It also provides a time to purify their bodies and souls, and to grow closer to God. Ramadan is a spiritual time marked by charity and forgiveness. - Susan Hogan/Albach Related content
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"In some sense it has been a wonderful teaching moment," said Sister Patricia Ridgley, a member of the advisory committee of Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Oak Cliff.
It's also the kind of moment that's become more common as student bodies have become increasingly diverse, educators say. Several of the largest school districts have made an effort in recent years to acknowledge Ramadan as a part of the lives of some students. Parties that were once called Christmas events, and then included Hanukkah songs, are now "winter festivals" in which holidays of many faiths and beliefs are recognized.
Although public schools cannot promote any particular faith – or even faith in general – educators say it is important that students be taught about the range of religions in their communities.
"We have tried really hard not to spend too much time on one religion, so that children who belong to other religions would not feel like they were being alienated," said Ruby Murry, a counselor at Jackson Elementary School in Plano.
She planned a brief explanation of the holiday for the morning announcements. Similar announcements are made to explain Christian and Jewish holidays, she said.
Getting the message
National Muslim organizations have focused on getting their message to public schools for about two years. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has a packet of information it offers to educators. Soundvision.com, a popular Muslim commerce and education site, offers information designed for explaining the holidays in public schools.
This year's outreach efforts include some events that will talk about terrorism and those who claim to kill in the name of Islam. Attacks on Muslims and mosques after Sept. 11 offered evidence that Islam is not fully accepted in America. Some Muslim leaders say they hope to use Ramadan as a way to educate non-Muslims and reduce tension.
In addition to the prayers, feasts, and study for Ramadan, the Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson has added speeches, presentations, and tours, some of them for public and private schools.
The unprecedented outreach is a reaction to curiosity about Islam – not to mention suspicion and hostility – created by the attacks, said Abdul Malik, the mosque operations manager.
"Islam was never a part of the fabric of American society before," he said. "At this point it is up to the Muslims in America to define the texture and color of our part of the fabric."
If schools reflect the larger society, Islam has begun weaving its way into the American fabric. Between 2 million and 6 million Muslims live in the United States, according to recent surveys. Although there has been no count of Muslims in the Dallas area, local leaders say there are more than 50,000 and more than two dozen mosques.
There are no districtwide plans to use Ramadan as a time for special teaching about Islam, according to officials at several local school districts. But some of the districts will be doing what Richardson is trying for the first time this year. An e-mail explaining the basics of Ramadan will be sent to every principal.
Third-grade teacher Anjuma Chowdhury – a Muslim who wears the headscarf known as a hijab – handles some of the explaining at Thomas Elementary School in Plano. A few days before the start of Ramadan, she was scheduled to be the featured speaker during the morning announcements. Her assignment was to explain her holiday in a way that students from 6 to 12 years old could understand.
One of many
Ms. Chowdhury's family is from Bangladesh, but she grew up in Texas. She said she ran into no hostility as a child in school – but not much acknowledgement of her faith. Islam, she said, is just one of many religious and cultural traditions respected at Thomas Elementary, where the children speak 27 languages.
"Schools are a more comfortable place for students of all backgrounds now," said Ms. Chowdhury, 24.
Muslim tradition holds that Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, commemorates the time when the angel Gabriel started dictating the Quran to the prophet Muhammad more than 1,200 years ago. The Quran is Islam's sacred text.
Muslims are instructed to abstain during Ramadan's daylight hours from food, drink, tobacco, sex, and other pleasures as a way of practicing self-restraint and renewing their commitment to their faith. Muslims also are supposed to place special emphasis on prayer, paying off debts, and doing good deeds during the month.
Children aren't obligated to fast, but many try to skip lunch – a potential hardship in schools that require students to spend their mealtimes together in the cafeteria. Muslim students in some schools will be given the option of spending that time in the library. Some schools have prayer areas set aside for Muslim students.
Those kinds of accommodations were planned before Sept. 11, said Carol Kent, a member of the religious practices advisory committee of the Richardson district.
"Our Muslim community has been quite large," she said. "We crossed a divide many years ago that some school districts are just crossing now."
If the schools are so willing to celebrate Ramadan, then I want "Winter Break" to go back to being called "Christmas Vacation" and "Spring Break" to return to "Easter Vacation."
Why is it only Christian holidays are not allowed to be referred to by name?
Gee. The ACLU isn't suing her school for this? What a surprise. So it would be ok for a Christian teacher to explain Easter to students? Or a student to explain his 10 Commandments book cover at show-and-tell? I don't think so.
Gee, I wonder what would happen if the Baptist Church tried to get their message to the public schools?
I'm not a Christian, but fair is fair. In ordinary times, allowing one (very minority) religion access while barring the (very majority) one from the premesis is plain wrong. And these are far from ordinary times. Our kids need a dose of Islamic propaganda like they need a snort of anthrax.
Shouldn't be too hard since that pesky Christmas holiday is out of the way and has been completely cleansed according to plan.
In response, some local high school classes will tour a mosque
Could anyone on this forum in thier wildest dreams imagine a public school allowing a "tour" of a church or synagoque?
These Orwellian bastards are nothing less than obscene.
"Acknowledgement." How cute. Translation: proselytization.
Several of the largest school districts have made an effort in recent years to acknowledge Ramadan as a part of the lives of some students.
Translation: Islamization of the public schools. Someone needs to send those administrators a copy of the U.S., or the Texas State Constitution (does Texas follow American laws?).
National Muslim organizations have focused on getting their message to public schools for about two years. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has a packet of information it offers to educators. Soundvision.com, a popular Muslim commerce and education site, offers information designed for explaining the holidays in public schools.
I'll bet the ACLU sees nothing wrong with this.
This year's outreach efforts include some events that will talk about terrorism and those who claim to kill in the name of Islam.
Sounds like they'll be arguing that terrorism is not the true face of Islam. Pray tell, how you can do that, without supporting Islam?
Attacks on Muslims and mosques after Sept. 11 offered evidence that Islam is not fully accepted in America.
I've heard this claim repeated ad nauseam, but have seen few or no examples of serious harassment or violence. In anything, the national climate since 911 is evidence that Islam IS accepted in America -- which is not necessarily a good thing.
Some Muslim leaders say they hope to use Ramadan as a way to educate non-Muslims and reduce tension.
I'll just bet they do.
Ms. Chowdhury's family is from Bangladesh, but she grew up in Texas. She said she ran into no hostility as a child in school – but not much acknowledgement of her faith.
There we go again, with the failure to "acknowledge" (read: embrace) Islam. Toelrance is not enough for these people.
Some schools have prayer areas set aside for Muslim students.
Those kinds of accommodations were planned before Sept. 11, said Carol Kent, a member of the religious practices advisory committee of the Richardson district.
"Our Muslim community has been quite large," she said. "We crossed a divide many years ago that some school districts are just crossing now."
IOW, thee people long ago burned the Constitution. It's apparently ok to establish religion in the public schools, as long as that religion is neither Christianity nor Judaism.
I hope someone is keeping an eye on the "students" going into the prayer rooms and what objects the "students" are bringing in the rooms. (I've put the word "students" in quotation marks because we know we can't rely on the ages, names, nationalities, etc given in immigration papers of people from the ME. Also, one or two of the hijackers looked pretty young.)
We also know that some young Muslims are willing to risk their own lives in order to kill others.
If Christians are true to their beliefs they believe Jesus is the son of God. They do not believe ALLAH is God. Why would they want to expose school children to a false belief. Unless of course they are not that positive about their beliefs. Or feel that political correctness is more important than taking a stand against falsehoods.
If a group of people believe 5+2=8 should you be tolerant of their belief? - Tom
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