NEW YORK – Muslim students at Brooklyn Technical High School want officials to move the date of their prom because it conflicts with their religious holiday of Ramadan, but administrators contend it’s not going to happen.
Muslims fast during daylight hours for the month-long Ramadan that started on May 26, and more than 240 students signed a Change.org petition to demand Brooklyn Tech change the date of the school’s prom date to accommodate their religious beliefs, the Fort Greene Patch reports.
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“With Tech’s Muslim population being so vast, it is clear the scheduled date will heavily affect the attendance of this significant event of our high school experience,” the petition read.
“If no action is taken, Senior Prom truly wouldn’t be open to every senior who wants to go.”
The “white glove prom” at Chelsea Piers is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 3, about an hour and a half before the end of Ramadan.
School officials told the New York Post they did not receive the petition until Monday, and have no plans to change Saturday’s event.
According to CBS New York:
A Department of Education spokesperson told CBS2 the dance was planned months in advance and officials will not be rescheduling. Dinner will be served at 9 p.m. — well after sunset — so all students can eat.
Several students simply don’t think that’s good enough.
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“You’re not supposed to listen to music during Ramadan, so it’s not really allowed,” student Pikeeza Shabbir complained.
Others said religious ceremonies on the last day of Ramadan will make it impossible for them to attend prom.
“On prom night I’ll probably be spending time with my family because I believe prom is the night ifthar happens where we all break our fast,” student Mashror Ali said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio added two Muslim holidays – Eid al-Firt and Eid al-Adha – to the district’s calendar in 2015, along with the Lunar New Year, in an effort to be more “inclusive” of minority families.
But at least some Muslims at Brooklyn Tech believe the prom is simply the latest evidence that the school and district couldn’t care less about their needs.
“Muslim holidays they don’t give much attention to it, school events, they don’t care about it,” Saima Afrin told CBS New York.
Others, meanwhile, seem to understand why school officials can’t simply move the date of prom at the last minute.
“I think this petition, I don’t want to say it, but it’s kind of useless since the school won’t change it because they’d lose money,” Nafin Rahman said.


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