Eid-Al-Adha is one of the most important holidays in Islam for Muslims. It marks the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and is a sacred holiday where thousands of Muslims around the world celebrate, pray and sacrifice most commonly a cow or a goat. 

While it is an important and joyous celebration, the Department of Education this 2024-2025 school year mis-scheduled the holiday. The actual holiday is on Friday, June 6th but it was scheduled on the DOE calendar for Thursday, June 5th. 

The calculation of the Eid date is based on a lot of factors such as moon sightings, weather, and witnesses. It is not calculated scientifically but rather decided based on the Islamic calendar, and the DOE mis-scheduling the holiday has impacted many Muslims students and staff at Edison. The Muslim staff and students at Edison have mixed feelings about this. 

“Honestly, I am not upset about it. I am grateful that they are providing us even a day off for the holiday. Even our local mosques miscalculate the date. Many religions are still struggling to get their own holiday. Also we received an email from the Chancellor where we could request the day off to our supervisors. So, no I am not upset at the DOE, rather grateful,” said Ms. Aneeqa Aslam, a science teacher at Edison.

“When I first saw the DOE schedule, I thought it was a misprint! I figured that they would have changed the date, but I understood that the closer we got to the actual date, the less feasible it would be to change it, citywide. The day before Eid-al-Adha is also an important day for Muslims, as it is a day that we fast. So while I appreciated being able to fast at home instead of work, it did feel weird coming into work the next day when all my friends and family were celebrating,” said Ms. Inshika Ahmed, a chemistry teacher at Edison.

Many students also shared about how their attendance was affected and how some decided to come to school later in the day while others decided to stay at home to celebrate Eid-Al-Adha. 

“This has impacted me because my attendance is at 89-90 percent right now and I need it to be 90 in order to get my hospital internship. I was contemplating on whether I should come or not because I don’t want this to affect me in the long run. However, since my mom is leaving for vacation soon I wanted to spend time with her. Overall, Eid is the only time my family can bond together and actually be happy together so if I went to school I’d miss out on that,” shared Narmin Hossain, a junior at Edison.

The Human Resources however sent an email to all teachers assuring that as outlined by the Chancellor’s Regulation C-606, staff may request time off for religious observance. The email also mentioned, “ Supervisors may first discuss whether a modified schedule can accommodate the request.”

When asked about what the DOE should do if a mis-scheduling like this occurs in the future, many responded:

“Well, I know it is hard to calculate the moon sighting because we don’t calculate scientifically but Islamically where there has to be three witnesses for the moon sighting. With scientific calculations, we can calculate in advance but Islamically it’s different. There are many factors that play into determining the date, such as weather, location and the person who’s looking at it. I don’t think that there’s a fixed solution. I am just glad that they are acknowledging our holiday and  honoring us by giving us a holiday,” said Ms. Aneeqa Aslam.

“I believe the DOE could have avoided this by just double checking the dates ahead of time. The concern is regarding the moon, as the Islamic Calendar revolves around it; however, some of these things can be calculated ahead of time! Every calendar online showed that Eid would be on Friday; yet, the DOE chose to keep it on a Thursday,” said Ms. Inshika Ahmed. 

Eid-Al-Adha is one of the two most sacred holidays of Muslims. Muslims around the world observe this day and gather with their families, relatives and other fellow Muslims to celebrate together. The calculation of the Eid date requires a lot of methods and while the DOE mis-scheduled the Eid date, many staff and students celebrated Eid with ease and satisfaction.