COMMUNITY MATTERS
College Board Moves AP Exam for Eid
The College Board is expanding testing options for the Advanced Placement (AP) exam to accommodate Eid al-Fitr 2021. During a Nov. 5th Montgomery (Md.) County Board of Education meeting, Muslim students and community members asked for schools to be closed for this religious holiday out of concern that both events would occur on the same day — Thursday, May 13, 2021 — which could result in students either observing their faith or taking the AP exam.
Consequently, the board contacted The College Board National Office on their behalf and relayed their request. The College Board responded as follows: “To support students observing Eid-al-Fitr, we’ll be administering all exams planned for May 13, 2021, again on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The full 2020-21 Exam schedule will be posted in mid-December,” said College Board Media Relations Director Jerome White. ih
The Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research has created the Malcolm X Vanguards of Justice Scholarship (https://yaqeeninstitute.org/malcolm-x-vanguards-of-justice-scholarship) to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to their local community through service initiatives inspired by the legacy of a champion of social justice: Al Hajj Malik Shabbaz. The honoree selected should be considered a role model for compassion, a person who is striving to establish social justice, working for positive change in the community and contributing his or her expertise where it is needed locally.
NJ Expands Halal Foods Service at Public Schools Paterson (N.J.) schools expanded the district’s self-operated halal food program to 10 more schools in the 201920 school year, said superintendent Eileen Shafer on Sept. 27, 2109. Schools 2, 7, 8, 9, 19, 27 and 28, along with the Don Bosco Technical Academy, International High School and the Hani Awadallah School, began offering halal food in September. “We are all very pleased by the success of the pilot Halal food program, and to see Halal food being made available at more schools throughout the district,” Superintendent Eileen Shafer told the Paterson Times. The halal lunch program, which the district piloted at John F. Kennedy High School and School 5 during 2018, remains ongoing.
School officials reported that Paterson, which has a large Muslim student popu-
lation, not to mention one of the nation’s largest populations overall, may be the state’s first school district to offer halal food. It will be offered at all district schools through a five-phase plan, according to the district. A majority of schools had started serving halal food by Thanksgiving. ih
10 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California inaugurated its $3.4 million office complex in Orange on Nov. 3, 2019, at a grand opening ceremony. The complex is an example of a unique fundraising and financing model. More than 150 community leaders and activists attended the meeting, which was addressed by board members Dr. Ahmed A. Soboh (chairman), Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi (former chairman), Shakeel Syed (former executive director) and Malek Bendelhoum (current executive director). Guests were given guided tours of the offices by board members, who explained the various projects and programs envisioned for the community. “This is actually the result of the work of everyone here. This is a huge, huge asset to our community. It belongs to the commu-