Mariam Tolba, a sophomore at Libertyville High School, started a petition on Wednesday, Sept. 16, asking the District 128 Superintendent, Dr. Prentiss Lea, to recognize the Islamic holidays of Eid.
The petition, found on change.org, is called “Make Eid a school holiday recognized by D128.”
For Tolba and other Muslim students at both Libertyville and Vernon Hills High Schools, every time Eid falls on a school day, there is a tough decision to make: go to school and miss celebrating a major holiday, or miss school and be loaded with makeup work while taking their holiday.
Tolba decided that she has a responsibility to make District 128 recognize not just Christianity and Judaism, but also Islam. These three religions are the most common religions in the United States, according the the U.S. Census Bureau.
There are two holidays of Eid, usually falling a month apart and changing dates every year because they follow the lunar calendar. Eid al-Fitr comes first, in which Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year in which strict fasting is observed between sunrise and sunset. Eid al-Adha comes second, which celebrates the end of the pilgrimage, or Hajj, Tolba explained.
“[I want] to get these two holidays off. For Christians and Jews they get Christmas off, Easter, Yom Kippur, et cetera, but I’d like for Muslims to also get these two days off to celebrate as well,” she stated.
Most students at LHS are not aware of these traditions, but when asked how they felt about the petition, many students agreed with Tolba’s statement of the need for mutual cultural respect in the United States, maintaining the ideal of a melting pot of diversity.
“Honestly, I just think that to get this day off would be really beneficial to everyone in the community and in the district, to share each other’s diversity and values. It would show that you respect all religions and their holidays,” Tolba said.
Lauren Rose Jordan, a senior at LHS, agreed, stating: “It is important that the community remains true to the idea that all religions and cultures are not only accepted but also recognized.
There was a time in middle and elementary school that the school did not take Jewish holidays off…thankfully these holidays are observed at LHS, but I feel that it is unfair for people to have to endure that stress when we take off for other religions.”
Dr. Lea did not respond to a request for comment on the petition, nor did he respond to Tolba’s notification of the petition.
However, the Director of Communications at District 128, Mary Todoric, explained that the process for consideration would be submitting the request to the District 128 calendar committee, which meets in October. The committee reviews the school calendar and makes a recommendation to the Board of Education for final approval.
In the meantime, Tolba has contacted the Board of Education.
As of Sept. 27, Tolba’s petition had reached 250 supporters, with reasons of support in the comments section ranging from the need of other students in the district to take the holiday off, to cultural statements. “Diversity is the spirit of America. We should respect and celebrate it,” said one commenter.
In March, New York City school districts recognized Eid as a public holiday. Districts in New Jersey, Michigan, and Connecticut also recognize Eid, but Chicago has not incorporated Eid holidays into school district holiday calendars. According to the Chicago Tribune, 400,000 Muslims live in Chicago among a total population of 2.7 million people, yet Chicago has not incorporated Eid holidays into school district calendars for the 15 percent of the population practicing Islam.
Tolba’s petition-supporter count is still rising daily.
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