Selaedin Maksut skipped school on Eid while he was a child to attend celebrations with his family, visit the mosque, and observe one of the most pleasant days for Muslims worldwide. While he said he never regretted the decision, he was burdened by having to miss classes.
As the director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR-NJ) New Jersey branch, Maksut has been assisting a new generation of Muslim-American youngsters in getting the day off from school.
Maksut told news, “We’re optimistic,” emphasising that the goal of the initiative is to “free” Muslim students from having to choose between achieving academic achievement and honouring the holiday.
Numerous public schools in New Jersey and around the US have recently declared Eid as an official holiday, a development that Muslim-American advocates said was the result of their campaigning and a reflection of the country’s rising Muslim population.
“Students want to be able to freely go to the masjid [mosque] and pray, be with their family and enjoy the day, and then return to school the next day knowing that they did not miss any exams, tests, or homework,” Maksut said to Al Jazeera.
A handwritten letter illustrating the conflict that Muslim students experience between prioritising their school attendance or religious obligations is included in a toolbox that CAIR-NJ has developed to assist parents, students, and activists in urging schools to observe Eid as a holiday.
“We’re going to keep working with community people on the ground to mobilise them, give them a voice, and give them the confidence to ask for these accommodations… help build more inclusive and welcoming societies for everyone.
