Ramadan recognized

Area Muslim students will be able to take two excused absences during Ramadan to observe the monthlong Islamic holiday of fasting and feasting that begins today, though local school systems do not consider the days official holidays.

Muslim students can miss two days during Ramadan: Lailat al-Qadr, the “Night of Power,” which happens during the final 10 days of the month, and Eid al-Fitr, the day that breaks the fast, which also is a day of celebration for Muslim families and communities.

School closings for religious holidays vary among area districts.

Montgomery County and Prince George’s County public schools and offices are closed for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana.

Prince George’s is the only local county to list Ramadan on its official school calendar. Good Friday and Easter also are listed, but “winter break” is named in place of Christmas.

The other area systems do not specifically address Ramadan, but most will grant students excused absences for recognized religious holidays, even if they aren’t on the official school calendar.

Montgomery County lists only Christmas, Easter and Rosh Hashana as religious holidays.

The Fairfax County public school system has an extensive list of holidays and observances on its official calendar, but lists no religious holidays.

The District and Arlington County list no religious holidays on their official school calendars.

Muslims are generally happy to work within the confines of American culture when celebrating their religious observances and holidays but wish the two days during Ramadan were official holidays, Muslim scholars said.

“Some Muslims are struggling with the fact that Jewish and Christian days are holidays,” said Zahid H. Bukhari, director and principal co-investigator of the Muslims in the Public Square project at Georgetown University.

“At least Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha should be declared holidays,” he said.

Eid al-Fitr is the day after Ramadan, when Muslims break the monthlong fast they have kept from sunrise to sundown.

“The basic philosophy is that the whole Ramadan month is tight, with lots of restrictions, then afterwards is the celebration,” Mr. Bukhari said. “And we do prefer that the whole family be together.”

Eid al-Adha is the last day of Hajj, the period in February in which Muslims around the world make a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to commemorate Ibrahim’s obedience to God in his willingness to sacrifice his son.

The dates of Ramadan change each year because Muslims follow a lunar calendar.

In June, the Baltimore County school board rejected pleas from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee to include the two major Muslim holidays on its calendar, prompting outrage from some members of the Muslim community.

“The school system needs to either celebrate all other minority holidays or not celebrate any of them,” Bash Pharoan, president of the Baltimore County Muslim Council, told the Baltimore Sun.