February 19, 2006
Wrestling with Faith While Making the Grade
by John Freeman Gill
The New York Times
Like thousands of other Muslim parents in the city, Fatiha Oummih eagerly looks forward each year to celebrating Id al-Adha, the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice, with her family.
Ms. Oummih usually observes Id al-Adha, the second most important Muslim holiday, by dressing her daughter, Yasmin Belkhyr, in a long, festive dress and taking her to pray at a mosque before making the rounds of relatives' homes.
But last month, Ms. Oummih felt compelled instead to send Yasmin, a fourth grader at Public School 122 in Astoria, Queens, to school because the State Education Department scheduled mandatory statewide tests during Id al-Adha, which fell on Jan. 10, 11 and 12.
"I was really very, very angry because they take into consideration all the other holidays before they make that schedule, and they didn't do that for our holiday," Ms. Oummih said.
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