MoCo Middle Schooler Honored for Eid Equality Push

Community News
Typography

iswa-cair“Kids like big ideas, we like fairness, respect, we like equality,” said Eleanor Clemans-Cope, who circulated a petition in her school to show the same respect to Muslim holidays as they do for Christian and Jewish holy days. 170 students at Montgomery County’s Chevy Chase.Elementary agreed. They rushed to sign the petition, overwhelming Eleanor with their enthusiasm.


The petition begins: “Imagine having to take an exam on Christmas or Passover!”

 

On July 5, 2015, the Maryland chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA) held a ceremony to honor her interfaith contribution. Zainab Chaudry, the CAIR- Maryland Outreach Manager, Imam Fazul Khan and George Leventhal, President of the Montgomery County Council, presented the plaque to this 11 year old girl who has been seen and heard more than some of the people who are most affected by this issue.

 

Leventhal addressed the congregants. “I want you to listen to the example of young Eleanor and I hope all of you will be seen and heard because the government responds to the people who we see and hear,” he said.

 

“Come and visit me at the Montgomery County Council, to testify when we have budget hearings if there are issues in local government.” From the issue of how the environmental law will affect the building of the masjid parking lot to how much money will the county invest in police to protect the neighborhood, these are all issues that a local government will decide, he said. “I work for you, we all work for you, but if you do not participate like Eleanor Cope, then we don’t know you.” He said that when the school board received Eleanor’s petition ‘they all had to think for a moment.’ He stressed civic engagement and noted that a day will come when the Eid holiday is recognized in the county school, ‘in sha Allah’.

 

“Montgomery County is a place where  Muslims are welcomed and safe ...it is a tremendous source of pride for me that all of you who could have chosen to live anywhere...like me you chose this place to be your home because we have good government because we have excellent schools, safe neighborhood and we appreciate when people come from interesting place,” said the County Councilman.

 

Almost 20 years ago, Dr. Lisa Clemans-Cope was in graduate school in Baltimore with Farhan Hameed."Kids like big ideas, we like fairness, respect, we like equality," said Eleanor Clemans-Cope, who circulated a petition in her school to show the same respect to Muslim holidays as they do for Christian and Jewish holy days. 170+ students at Montgomery County's Chevy Chase Elementary agreed. They rushed to sign the petition, overwhelming Eleanor with their enthusiasm.


The petition begins: "Imagine having to take an exam on Christmas or Passover!"


On July 5, 2015, the Maryland chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA) held a ceremony to honor her interfaith contribution. Zainab Chaudry, the CAIR-Maryland Outreach Manager, Imam Fazul Khan and George Leventhal, President of the Montgomery County Council, presented the plaque to this 11 year old girl who has been seen and heard more than some of the people who are most affected by this issue.


Leventhal addressed the congregants. "I want you to listen to the example of young Eleanor and I hope all of you will be seen and heard because the government responds to the people who we see and hear," he said.


"Come and visit me at the Montgomery County Council, to testify when we have budget hearings if there are issues in local government." From the issue of how the environmental law will affect the building of the masjid parking lot to how much money will the county invest in police to protect the neighborhood, these are all issues that a local government will decide, he said. "I work for you, we all work for you, but if you do not participate like Eleanor Cope, then we don't know you." He said that when the school board received Eleanor's petition "they all had to think for a moment." He stressed civic engagement and noted that a day will come when the Eid holiday is recognized in the county school, 'in sha Allah'.


"Montgomery County is a place where Muslims are welcomed and safe - it is a tremendous source of pride for me that all of you who could have chosen to live anywhere "like me you chose this place to be your home because we have good government because we have excellent schools, safe neighborhoods and we appreciate when people come from interesting place," said the County Councilman.


Almost 20 years ago, Dr. Lisa Clemans-Cope was in graduate school in Baltimore with Farhan Hameed. Their families remained friends. Last year, she took her daughters to attend the wedding of Farhan's sister, Hina Hameed with Raheel Baig. At the wedding, Eleanor saw Muslim marriage rituals and the congregational prayer. "That was the first time I got to see how people in my community practice their Muslim faith," the soon to be 6th grader said to the audience at ISWA. "Just seeing the difference was a really good experience," she said. She had heard about the Equality for Eid campaign because one of her teacher's Ms. May "was on TV talking about it". She doesn't have Muslim friends her age at school but does in other places.


"We are taught in school that one of the core principles of our country is religious tolerance so it is easy for us to understand," she said.


Equality for Eid Coalition was formed to mobilize the community to seek inclusion of the Eid holidays in the Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS board decided last year to remove all references to  holy days from the school calendar. This move really brought the issue home for the Clemons-Copes, who are Unitarian Universalists. Eleanor described this decision as a "ridiculous sham because Christian and Jewish kids still get their most important holidays off -  they are just not marked,"  in an email accompanying the petition.


The family was not expecting the media attention that came after the petition was delivered. Along with positive attention, Clemans-Cope shared that Eleanor and her school principal received anti-Muslim messages. "We received an emergency message from her principal telling us to make sure she didn't check her email messages. She said "we are proud of Eleanor and we don't want her to feel any other way"," said Eleanor's mother.

"I think the next step is to organize a teach-in or something at a place or many places to learn about Eid on the next Eid that's on a school day that's not taken off," she said. Her mother says that Eleanor wants to work with students in other schools across the county to amplify the voice of the children who "get" what many adults seem to "not get": the concept of fairness and respect.

Dr Clemans-Cope realizes that they have privilege and they need to use that privilege by being allies for their Muslim friends, teachers and neighbors.


Tables were set with dates and fruits, ready for Maghrib time. Muhammad Yusuf Kareem, 10, of Lancaster Elementary, was attending the iftar at ISWA. The young man, who wants Eid as a school holiday, said that he wants to start a petition up at his school as well.


Patricia O’Neill, Board President, told the Washington Post who first published the story, that she received the petition and ‘that the board takes public views into consideration every year when it decides calendar issues.’


Zamal Houssein, the President of ISWA, whose center was picked because it is culturally diverse, hopes that Muslim children will also follow suit and become visible in county politics. He would love to find a Muslim student who is equally active and who could lobby politicians to change the situations in their schools. “This would make the county an even better place for Muslims to live and work,” he said. He thinks that too many times Muslims have been in the background and this is a time that we need the new generation to speak up and be actively involved. An estimated ten percent of Montgomery County is Muslim.


“I can’t be fully me unless you can’t be fully you,” said Eleanor as she ended her acceptance speech. “There is too much bigotry and hate in this world, and we need to all be part of the solution.”

 

Comments powered by CComment