Muslims Protest Holy Day Testing

Hundreds of Muslim parents and students joined local politicians outside the Masjid Dar-al-Dawah Mosque in Astoria to protest that school was in session Tuesday during one of their highest holy days - Eid-ul-Adha.
In addition to schools being open, statewide tests were being administered to students in grades three through five.
“To allow testing on their highest holy day is insulting,” City Councilman Hiram Monserrate said at the rally. Monserrate also addressed letters to City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein and State Education Commissioner Richard Mills urging them to discontinue testing during religious holidays.
Ahmed Jamil, Director of the Masjid Dar-al-Dawah Mosque told the crowd that he has a daughter who is in third grade at public school, and the issue of whether or not to send her to school caused tension between Jamil and his wife. Ultimately, they decided to keep their daughter home from school, but City Councilman David Weprin said it was a decision that they should not have been forced to make.
“No one under any circumstance should be forced to choose between their own religious beliefs and whether they should send their children to school,” Weprin said.
Many parents at the rally voiced their frustration, and some felt that it was a slap in the face to those of their religious belief.
“I really don’t understand why they are doing it,” Mohmed Hassan a parent of three Flushing public school students, two of whom stayed home to observe the holiday, but one was allowed to attend after pleading with her father. “They are doing this to upset the Muslim community.”
Students who did not go to school because of the religious holiday will be allowed to make up the test that they missed.
“A make-up examination is not good enough,” Monserrate said. He is urging the department to “consider a policy of forbidding mandatory testing on religious holidays.”