By Adam Pincus
Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona) said that as a Christian, he would not want schools to hold major tests on a Good Friday.”To allow for testing on one of the highest holy days is insulting,” he told the crowd of about 75 gathered outside the Dar Al-Dawah Mosque at 35-13 23rd Ave. in Astoria. The protest, attended by Councilmen David Weprin (D-Hollis) and Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan) was held just after the morning prayer for Eid al-Adha, a traditional feast day commemorating the end of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj.Jonathan Burman, spokesman for the state Education Department, said it was not always possible for the city and state education departments to avoid conflicts with religious holidays.”We do consult with the calendar when scheduling exams in order to avoid scheduling conflicts,” he said, but it is not always possible. He added that any child who is legally absent will be able to take the test the following week.The English Language Arts Exam scheduled for Jan. 10, 11 and 12, conflicted with the Muslim festival Tuesday and is given to third-, fourth- and fifth-graders once a year. It is part of the federally mandated No Child Left Behind tests, Burman said.The Jewish holiday Purim falls on March 13, the first day of the state Mathematics exam for grades six, seven and eight, according to the state Education Department schedule.City and state school administrators are challenged by the continued growth and accommodations of minority religions in the city, especially in Queens, the most diverse county in the country.The president of the mosque, Ahmed Jamil, said the city Department of Education should have known not to schedule the test for Jan. 10, since the day appears on a list of religious holidays maintained by the city. But he said it was not only Islamic holidays that needed to be respected.”We need all minorities to be welcomed and integrated into the political system,” he said, “not just for Muslims, but holidays for everybody.”Weprin called the scheduling of the test on the holy day “outrageous.””No one should be forced to choose between one's religious beliefs or sending children to school,” he said at the news conference.Jonathan Cantor, city schools spokesman, said the department was aware of the holiday, but was required to hold the tests at the same time as the rest of the state. “We will test students observing the holiday at the end of the week,” or next week, he said.Although a makeup exam period is available, Monserrate said that was not fair.Azeem Khan, assistant secretary general of the Islamic Center of North America, based in Jamaica, said he was not aware of the protest but supported its goals.”Most students and parents feel they should have the right to celebrate their holidays as other major religions do,” he said in a telephone interview.Magdy Jahin, 42, of Astoria, a father of three children, said he was upset that his son and daughter had to attend public school on a high holy day. “We feel bad because it is our holiday,” he said. “It is a day for the kids to see the family. It is our country and our home and now we feel alone here.”Ten-year-old Moustafa Moussa, a fourth-grader at PS 163, was taking the day off because of the festival.”I feel a little bad,” he said, about not going to school, but “I don't feel good when I take the test on my holiday.”Reach reporter Adam Pincus by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
