City Council vote supports Muslim holidays To the Editor: It is a reality! The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed Resolution 1281 introduced by City Council Member Robert Jackson calling on the New York City Department of Education to recognize the two holiest Muslim holidays. Last year, Jackson met with The New York Civic Participation Project members of Washington Heights committee and the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays. He committed to introducing a resolution to get the Muslim Holidays recognized. On June 30, a diverse range of representatives from the labor, community, civil rights and faith-based groups that make up the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays convened a press conference in the morning prior to the vote, urging the City Council to pass the resolution. Speakers included parents, students, community representatives and religious leaders from different faiths. Victor Perez, a Washington Heights resident and member of NYCPP’s Washington Heights Committee and 32BJ SEIU, spoke as a representative of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays. He talked about the importance of different ethnic and religious groups coming together to fight for children’s educational rights and concluded by saying: “Children from all backgrounds and faiths should have equal opportunities for education and be considered full members of our society.” Muslim students represent about 12% of the student population, over 100,000 children, in city schools. They have historically faced discrimination and difficultly, especially after the September 11th terrorist attacks, when trying to spend their holiest holidays, Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha, with their families instead of going to school. Council Member Jackson’s children, who are Muslim, face the same discrimination. The next step in this process is to work with the mayor and the Department of Education to ensure that children will not be forced to choose between educational opportunities and celebrating their holidays. Sussie Lozada Organizer New York Civic Participation Project
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