Back when Rahaf Othman was in high school, there were none of Richard High School’s accommodations and welcomes for students and staff celebrating Ramadan, the holy month observed by Muslims like herself.
Today there are plenty, including a special video introducing Ramadan that Othman, who teaches social studies at the Oak Lawn school, helped make with the help of the Equity Committee, staff and students.
Special accommodations are appearing at other schools, including nearby Oak Lawn Community High School, where Samantha Razik, school counselor and Muslim Student Association Sponsor, plans activities to celebrate the month, including sending out videos and articles to staff.
The video circulating High School District 218 and its social media sites is only 8 minutes but is packed with news bites from staff and students about the holiday, how it brings Muslims closer to God and their holy book, the Quran, and how it helps them feel patience and show compassion to others.
Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, awaken at 3 a.m. to eat and drink, say prayers at 5 a.m., go back to sleep and awaken for school at 7 a.m., explains the video. They then attend school from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., only breaking their fast at 7:30 p.m.
“As a result of their participation, our Muslim students might experience fatigue, brain fog or just overall tiredness,” says Richards Principal Mike Jacobson in the video, while another speaker asks the audience to show empathy and understanding, offering students breaks when necessary.
“Working together we can make this a great month for all of our students as we celebrate cultures and learn about things we may be unfamiliar with,” Jacobson says at the end of the video.
Jacobson and Shepard High School Principal Greg Walder, who also appears in the video, said the experience helped educate them.
“I knew things about Ramadan, but I didn’t really know the impact of exactly what they were going through,” said Walder.
Jacqueline Johnson, who directs the Equity Committee, said the school needed to show support.
“Ramadan is an important time for our Muslim community members and we wanted to ensure that our Muslim community members feel supported,” said Johnson.
Up until this year, Othman had sent around emails explaining the month to colleagues and what they could do to help students. But during an Equity Committee meeting, she suggested a video to nab everyone’s attention. The committee loved the idea. She wrote the script with the help of that committee, to make it easier for participants and to streamline the project.
“To bring awareness that during this month, yes we’re fasting, but it’s not only about not eating,” said Othman, who also sponsors the Unity Club. “It’s also about the sense of purification … the struggles we may face while doing it and the different accommodations a staff member can do for students.”
Students at Richards can also go to the media center during lunch, so they don’t need to be around food. Because Arab American Heritage Month coincides with Ramadan, Unity Club students also made a video interviewing Arab American staff about their culture.
“I’m ecstatic we are doing things to help students,” said Othman.
Her students feel the same way.
“Because I’m a Muslim girl, I want people to know about Ramadan … like fasting and after our month, we celebrate together with family, like what you guys do for Christmas,” said Janeen Abdelal a senior. “It means happiness and knowing what we have, so like fasting is where we just feel for the people who don’t have stuff we have like food.”
Abdelal also said the video helped bring the entire community together.
More Top Picks Best Metal Detecting Sand Scoops
“I didn’t know our principals were in the video and seeing them really felt like we were all united,” said Abdelal.
At Oak Lawn Community High School, some teachers offer Muslim students flexibility on due dates, alternative assignments and the chance to avoid “food-centric” activities, Razik said. Students are also putting together a video on Ramadan to circulate around the school. They also hosted an Iftar, the meal they eat at sundown that breaks the daily fast, inviting non-observers to attend.
“The main reason Ramadan is so important is because it helps ground me every year and allows me to reflect and to remember those less fortunate,” said Razik. “It helps students know the school staff values them and promotes a better understanding of our religion and culture.”
Laya Nasan, a junior who helped decorate the media center with symbols of lanterns and crescent moons for the holiday, said the school’s many accommodations “help us find our place in the community.”
“For me, Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed, so in a way it’s meant to bring us closer to our religion,” said Nasan. ” Ramadan is, in a way, very peaceful, you take away the stuff that’s not necessary for your well-being like watching TV.”
The students in the video are Qasem Obaid, Amal Odeh, Ahmad Jarad, Janeed Abdelal, Hafiz Mohammed, Lara Sakhnini, Yahya Ateyat, Eman Almasalmeh, Amina Kahack, Saif Mashne and Raghad Alqheiwi.
The teachers are Olivia Cooper, Dana Abed, Amar Ayyash and Rasheedah Fitzpatrick.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.