Student Leadership Allows Cambridge to Celebrate Muslim Holiday

Photo Credit: Larry Aaronson

By: Samuel M. Gebru '09 (@SMGebru)

November 7, 2011

Today marks the first time that a Massachusetts school district is formally recognizing an Islamic holiday: Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice. As one of the most important days in the Islamic calendar, the Cambridge School Committee maneuvered through some very serious controversy to approve adding Eid al-Adha to the district calendar in 2010.

As a 2009 alumnus of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, I was fortunate enough to be one of the student leaders advocating for the recognition of a Muslim holiday. As an Orthodox Christian, I believe that other major religions in Cambridge, mainly Judaism and Islam, should also have their special days on the district calendar. Muslim and non-Muslim students alike—and even atheists—grouped together largely in my senior year with supporting faculty, administrators and elected officials to make strong appeals to the Cambridge School Committee.

Recognizing Eid al-Adha, especially at a time of high tensions and misguided images on Islam, is a very important way for the Cambridge Public Schools District to tell Muslims that they exist and are very much regarded for. Because the Islamic calendar changes annually, the district calendar will close either for Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, depending on which is during the academic year.

I am happy that my Muslim peers in Cambridge are now able to celebrate a very special holiday without having to miss school. The decision to recognize a Muslim holiday shows that Cambridge consistently embraces its multicultural identity. My graduating class participated in the decision-making process of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s motto, “Opportunity, Diversity, Respect,” and recognizing Eid al-Adha meets all three key aspects. It is an opportunity for one’s diversity to be respected.

Had it not been for the resounding and resilient voice of students, the Cambridge School Committee would have probably not given much attention to the idea of celebrating a Muslim holiday. But it was students, with the support of faculty, administrators and elected officials, who engineered this victory—a victory for “Opportunity, Diversity, Respect.”

Many thanks to all those who participated in the advocacy and approval processes, most importantly to the student leaders: Humbi Song ’09, Farah Kashem ’09, Dunia Kassay ’11, Nadhira Muhammad ’11, Hichem Hadjeres ’11, and many others.