Speaker: As the Mayor of New York City
Purpose: Mayoral speech to commemorate Eid becoming a New York City Public
School Holiday.
Audience: The people of New York, more likely, parents and children in New York
City Public Schools and the Muslim Community.
Text:
“Eid Mubarak!” or blessed eid to my Muslim friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
Tonight marks a special occasion for the City of New York. Today is the last day of
Ramadan for 2016. Later tonight will start the grand celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a
holiday which focuses on peace, forgiveness, and celebrating Allah. But tonight
doesn’t only mark the end of one month of fasting; tonight marks the end of years of
political activism and a victory in the fight for equality.
Effective tomorrow, New York City Public Schools will be closed in observance of
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. (Stop for applause)
Historically, children would have to choose between missing crucial days in their
educational career or missing an opportunity to spend time celebrating their faith
with family and friends. (slight pause) No longer will Muslim children and their
families have to sacrifice their religious freedom in order to fulfill the City’s
educational requirements.
The establishment of these new observances is proof that the residents of the City of
New York are succeeding in the fight to close the diversity gap that continues to
plague our city.
The road to school holiday closures has not been an easy journey. A group of
dedicated Muslim leaders have fought for over 9 years to create this change
(Grynbaum, NYT). This change resulting from this fight for equality has been the
result of years of tenacity and dogged determination.
New Yorkers only started to receive the major Jewish holidays off in the 1950s
when majority of New York City public school teachers were Jewish men (Medina,
NYT).
Fast forward several decades later and the same demands for equality surface from
a different source.
The (Col-li-ation )Coalition for Muslim School Holidays, a group of religious, civic,
and community groups joined forces in order to bring equality to the close to one
million Muslims living in New York City (Otterman, NYT).
A 2008 study confirmed that approximately, “…1 in 10 students in New York City’s
public schools is Muslim” (Cristillo). If these figures are an indicator to school
absences during holy days then 10% of the NYC student body has to make the
decision to miss a day of school or miss important religious celebrations (get more
aggressive).
Forcing an estimated 100,000 students to make that choice is a waste of time and
educational resources.
Previous administrations have declined recognizing Eid as an official New York City
Public School holiday. Despite the obvious need to reduce diversity-related tensions,
claims that children need to be in school more and not less ultimately won in the
past (Grynbaum, NYT).
However, despite efforts to provide children with more days of school in a given
school year, we, as a city, as a community, need to respect religious differences and
provide the support necessary to allow different communities to flourish (keep this
sentence drawn out).
One event that contributed to the push to make Eid an official public school holiday
was the 2006 New York State regent’s exam was seemingly inadvertently scheduled
on Eid al-Adha (Alijazera). The lack of adequate planning on the part of state
administrators resulted in rightful protest from the Muslim community. Parents and
students were faced with the difficult decision of missing an important religious
holiday or taking a mandatory state exam required for graduation. One might ask if
this exam has ever fallen on Passover or Good Friday? Likely not. Of course, this is
not coincidence, but rather a disregard for another culture. Thanks in part to that
unfortunate scheduling conflict, the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays was
formed and finally, nearly 10 years later, justice is served (Aljiazera).
This crucial turning point in our city’s history reflects an era of progression and
open mindedness. With tension high around the globe; war, famine, and racial
divides driving communities apart. I can think of a more opportune time to show
another section of our city’s population that we care and want to embrace other
cultures.
For those of you who do not observe Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, I hope you are able to
embrace this holiday with same gratitude that you may have received from others
embracing your traditions and religious beliefs. New York City is comprised of a
multitude of different languages, nationalities, and religions. The only way to ensure
acceptance and to create a deeper sense of community is to embrace each other and
our differences with open arms and open hearts.
When the founding fathers drafted the bill of rights determining that citizens had a
right to freedom of religion, speech, and press, they also thought it important
enough to prohibit the establishment of nationalized religion. America is a nation
with no national religious affiliation. America is also a nation that developed from a
group travelling to unknown worlds in order to avoid religious persecution. With
such a strong and established history of religious freedom how has it taken until
2015 to accommodate our city’s ever growing Muslim population?
Well the clock starts now. Now is the time to continue the mission our forefathers
started within the first few lines of the Bill of Rights. Now is the time for us to
provide ample support to growing populations to give them a fair shot at developing
more of a cultural following in their new home. Now is the time to rethink how our
current public school calendar embraces other cultures while ignoring and slighting
others.
Together we must rewrite our city’s calendar. I call on you to effect this change with
me. Reach out to your local council representative, community and religious leaders
to help create change. The strong spirit and determination of the Muslim community
created the change I’m so proud to share with you today.
I know, adding two more days off from school may not sound like a big deal. But this
little step leads us just that little step closer to ending cultural-related tensions and
truly having a community that embraces cultural diversity.
New York is the center of new ideas and progressive thought. Let’s continue that
trend by respecting each other and the qualities in life that make us unique; that
make New York unique.
I encourage you to focus on making such little steps to improve the world. With your
continued support and perseverance, we will continue to make New York City an
example of progress for the rest of the world. Good night, God bless, and Eid Kareem
(say in Arabic)!
Works Cited
Cristillo, Louis Dr. Religiosity, Education and Civic Belongings Muslim Youth in New
York City Public Schools. Teachers College Columbia University. New York, New York.
April 30, 2008. Web
“Eid in New York: Symbolic Victory for American Muslims”. Aljazeera Website.
March 13, 2015. Web
Grynbaum, Michael M. and Sharon Otterman. “New York City Adds 2 Muslim Holy
Days to Public School Calendar” The New York Times. March 4, 2015. Web
Medina, Jennifer. “Back to School, and Right Back on Vacation”. The New York Times.
March 16, 2010. Web
Otterman, Sharon. “Muslims in New York City Unite on Push to Add Holidays to
School Calendar”. The New York Times. April 17, 2014. Web