Islam Holidays

The issue I'm addressing is the lack of recognition of Islamic holidays in schools. In America, there are only days off for Christian holidays such as Christmas. I think schools need to do a better job of recognizing Islamic holidays and accommodating the needs of Muslim students. Islam is the second most common religion in the world and has 2 main holidays, Ramadan and Eid.

These holidays are extremely important in Islam. According to BBC, Ramadan is the celebration of when the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Eid, according to Primary Homework Help, is the festival for the first day after Ramadan. Eid lasts three days and is a day for friends and family to celebrate together and give charity.

In most schools, people aren't given days off for Islamic holidays. This is a big issue because students shouldn't have to suffer consequences for practicing their religion and celebrating religious holidays. As stated in the article Should Schools in US Recognize Muslim Holidays? a student by the name of Musa Siddiqi shared his experience. Musa stated that on days of Eid he has to miss school and the absences go on his report card. Later on in the article, a woman by the name of Zeinab Chaudry, a member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, explains that by having the class still be in session, Muslim students miss out on classroom instruction. Teachers are still teaching on these holidays. If there were to be an exam that day,  Muslim students would miss out on it.

To fix this issue, I would recommend adding these holidays to school calendars. Schools can have the day off on these days, or add certain policies that make it easier for students to catch up on what they missed. Students shouldn't be punished for practicing their faith. If schools can recognize other religious holidays, schools can recognize Islamic holidays. Schools should respect these holidays and do better jobs of accommodating these holidays and traditions.

(Ramadan)

(Eid)