Bill to stop Eid tests

Senator John Sabini and Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry introduced legislation to prevent the State Regents Board from scheduling official testing during the Muslim holy days of Eid-al-Adha and Eid-al-Fitr. In January, fourth graders throughout the state were forced to take state English tests during Eid-al-Adha, when practicing Muslims normally take a day off from school and when schools like the Razi School in Woodside were officially closed.
“Those marks will travel with [the students] into college,” said Dr. Ghassan Elcheikhali, principal of the Razi School, who joined Sabini and Aubry outside the school to announce the bill.
Elcheikhali said that this year was the first time that state testing and the Muslim holidays conflicted since the school opened in 1995.
“For Muslims this forced them to make a choice, either celebrate the holiday with their families and miss a test or class, or go to school, and that’s not fair,” he said.
The two holidays of Eid, which are set into the Muslim’s Moon calendar, are the most important in their religion.
“We would love to have no tests, even no school on our holidays,” said Zarmina Arzoi, who works at the Muslim Center in Flushing. Five of Arzoi’s younger cousins missed part of the holiday celebration this year because they had to go to school.
Stefaen Kazmi, 16, the grandson of Razi School Dean Najma Kazmi, also missed the first morning prayer of Eid-al-Adha this year because he could not miss class at Bronx High School of Science.
“Our holidays are very important to us. We are all Americans, and we need the same rights as others,” said Najma Kazmi, who emigrated to the United States over 25 years ago.