Plans for graduation parties have been modified at some schools in the province of Ontario because they were originally scheduled within the Muslim holy period of Ramadan. Starting on Thursday, observant Muslims begin a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting.
Students at two schools in downtown Hamilton decided to move their Grade 8 grad party ahead a week to avoid any difficulties for the half of their student body which is Muslim.
‘A very Canadian thing…to do’
“It’s a very Canadian thing for them to do,” said Louise Quinn, a teacher at Hess Street Elementary school. “They said [the Muslim students] are part of the family. They didn’t want to leave them out.”
Other schools have kept their parties to the same date, but scheduled dinners to start after sunset.
Muslims made up 3.2 per cent of Canada’s population, according to the government census of 2011. That was up from two per cent in 2001. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country.
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