Schools Adapting to Muslim Holy Month
The Muslim students at Robert E. Lee High School in this suburban Virginia community haven't had anything to eat or drink all day, but when they meet after school for a club meeting, the room still buzzes with energy, laughter, and chatter. It's the first day of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, an uplifting time these students say encourages them to improve themselves.
About 15 students, members of the school's Muslim Student Association, discuss Ramadan and plan activities with the club's supervisor, chemistry teacher Mariam Osman. As some drift in and out of the room, the talk shifts from Ramadan concerns to participation in a regional Islamic quiz competition.
Like other Muslims observing Ramadan this month across the country and around the world, the students here attest to the personal benefits they gain from fasting. But they also agree that just practicing their faith in the public school environment—where they're often pulled in directions opposite to what Islam teaches—can be...
This article is available to subscribers only.
To keep reading this article and more, subscribe now or purchase this article.
Subscribe to Education Week and Save
Get a full year and save up to 45%!
Viewed
Emailed
Recommended
Commented
- 2 Positions -Associate Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer, and Director of Human of Resources
- Washington County Public Schools, Hagerstown, MD
- K-8 Principal
- EdVantages/Performance Academies, Detroit, MI
- Elementary School Teacher
- Success Academy Charter Schools, New York, NY
- Program Coordinator
- Institute for Educational Advancement, South Pasadena, CA
- Superintendent
- Pinellas County Schools, Pinellas County, FL
