The sun has set on students’ request to change the date of their prom.
Students at an elite New York City high school petitioned to change the date of their senior prom – scheduled for June 3 – because it conflicts with the Muslim observance of Ramadan, but the school has denied the request, the New York Post reported.
“I think it’s kind of unfair because there’s a major population of Muslims at Brooklyn Tech,” Pikeeza Shabbir said.
The annual holy month for Muslims requires that observers consume no food or drink from sunrise to sunset. The Brooklyn Technical High School senior prom starts at 7 p.m. -- while the sun is still out.
The dance was planned months in advance, New York education officials told CBS2, so it will not be rescheduled. Dinner is expected to be served after sunset, at 9 p.m.
Still, Muslim students said eating after sundown is not the only issue; they say there are other religious rules that come into play.
“You’re not supposed to listen to music during Ramadan, so it’s not really allowed,” Shabbir said.
More than 250 students have signed a Change.org petition that argues some of the school’s Muslim students would be unable to attend because of the scheduling with the annual holy month that requires Muslims to fast during the day.
The petition states:
“In 2017, Ramadan is expected to begin on the night of either May 26th or 27th. Brooklyn Tech's Senior Prom is scheduled for June 3rd, a week into Ramadan. The start of this entails many responsibilities to the participants and with Tech's Muslim population being so vast, it is clear the scheduled date will heavily affect the attendance of this significant event of our high school experience.
A change to the date, even a week and a half earlier, would allow so many more people to partake. If no action is taken, Senior Prom truly wouldn't be open to every senior who wants to go.”
The dates for Ramadan are different every year because the holiday is based on a lunar calendar.
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