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Increasingly, my school has been recruiting students from Central Asia, so I see 1-3 Muslim students in each section.

Near the end of the last term, one student asked for leave for some religious activity. He was surprised when I said he could go, then he told me he had missed many Friday afternoon religious activities, but his advisor (or perhaps some other school administrators) said he couldn't leave. I heard a similar story from another student.

I realized that many of the other Muslim students may have similar problems, but they are too nervous to speak out and let me know. Since they remain quiet, I'm not sure how to accommodate them.

What are some typical things a teacher can do to accommodate Muslim students?

ff524
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    I am a Muslim graduate student. In general any Muslim student would need accommodation on three occasions: Friday Prayer time (somewhere between 1 pm and 3 pm, depending on the prayer time at campus), Eid al Fitr (a day celebrated at the end of Ramadan) and Eid al adha (in rememberance of the sacrifice made by Abraham upon whom be peace) celebrated about 2 months after Eid al Fitr. Hope this helps. –  Aug 10 '14 at 13:57

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There are a lot of places you could go to learn about Islam, starting with wikipedia. It could be interesting to do so: I recently read the Autobiography of Malcolm X and found his description of his pilgrimage to Mecca fascinating and moving. Last semester when I talked about Gabriel's Horn in my calculus course I wanted to be more balanced in my allusions, so I mentioned that in Islam the horn is blown not by Gabriel but by Israfil, and I was strangely pleased to figure out for myself that Israfil is the Islamic counterpart to Raphael (whereas Jibrail's role is expanded from that of his Christian counterpart).

The point of that preamble was: I do not doubt that learning more about Islam would be a worthy endeavor. Nevertheless I am skeptical that such knowledge would directly help you to accommodate Muslim students. Like most major world religions, there is considerable variation in the way it is practiced. I recommend rather that you familiarize yourself with the policies of your university on religious accommodations. Just yesterday I received the yearly memo on Sensitivity to Religious Practices from my upper university administration. It reads:

Many of our faculty, staff, and students commemorate various events of importance to their particular religions. Our institutional practice is to make every reasonable effort to allow members of the University community to observe their religious holidays without academic penalty. Absence for religious reasons does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the period of absence. Students who miss classes, examinations, or other assignments as a consequence of their religious observance should be provided with a fair alternative opportunity to complete such academic responsibilities. Students must provide instructors with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they plan to be absent.

As you plan your syllabus and begin communicating with students, please keep in mind that some religious holidays affect a significant number of University of Georgia students and might require a student to abstain from secular activities or attend a house of worship. Different groups within a particular religion may also observe holidays on different dates, making it difficult to provide a comprehensive list of all potential religious observances. You may wish to search online for a religious calendar resource to serve as a guide for the dates of common observances.

Thank you for your cooperation.

At least if you are in the US (as I seem to recall is the case?) it seems very likely that your institution has some equivalent version. You could keep copies on hand and give them to a student like the one you described above. You can direct them to appropriate university administration if they feel that they are not being accommodated within the stated rules of the university. If you really feel strongly, you could try to speak to the relevant administrators yourself.

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Pete L. Clark
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    The university where I taught in the US while earning my PhD also had a similar policy regarding religious practices and holidays. Though I would like to act one smart teaching policy: require students to inform you of these early in the semester. – virmaior Aug 09 '14 at 05:28
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    What @virmaior says is a double good idea, on the one hand, you don't need to worry about all the various calendars; on the other, you show the students you are open in your policies and they can actually come to you and ask. – Davidmh Aug 09 '14 at 11:48
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    I had no idea the Gabriel in Gabriel's horn referred to the angel! I always assumed some mathematician named Gabriel had discovered it. – Anonymous Mathematician Aug 09 '14 at 14:20
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    @Anonymous: Well, I also spoke of "Torricelli's Trumpet". – Pete L. Clark Aug 09 '14 at 15:17
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    +1 for Like most major world religions, there is considerable variation in the way it is practiced. As a religious student, I do not expect, need, or want my professors to know how I practice my religion; I will tell them what kind of accommodations I need. All I expect from my professors is that they follow the school policy on religious accommodations. – ff524 Aug 09 '14 at 20:31
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As a graduate student, my qualifying exam actually ended up taking place during Ramadan. As I was observing, I asked my graduate department to take that into account in scheduling the oral exams, which required two days for everybody to complete. They obliged in giving me an early morning slot, which was helpful compared to a late afternoon slot (when hunger would have affected my mental sharpness).

I would also note that Ramadan could conflict with evening labs, depending on how late they run. In such cases, it would be helpful to offer alternatives, where practical (perhaps the students could be allowed to start earlier or later, so that the meal break does not interfere too much with the lab schedule).

Finally, I should also mention that the observance of the Friday prayers, as well as the dates of the main observances, fluctuate: the former because they're tied to the solar schedule and thus shift during daylight savings time, as well as geographically according to both latitude and longitude, and the latter because they're tied to the lunar calendar but, unlike the Jewish calendar, are not intercalated. (Rough rule of thumb: the Islamic calendar "gains" one month every three Gregorian years.) Eid ul-Fitr this year was about July 28 in 2014; by 2017, it will be approximately June 26.

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My general suggestions, for adjusting your course schedule to accommodate the religious and any other needs of your students, would be:

  1. Don't make attendance compulsory if you can reasonably avoid it.

    Of course, sometimes — e.g. for exams — requiring physical attendance may be unavoidable, but if there's any chance that a student could successfully complete the course without being present on a particular occasion, I'd suggest allowing it.

    This may require some extra effort on your part, such as making lecture notes available for self-study, or scheduling supplementary lab sessions to make up for missed labs. It's up to you (and your department policy) how far you want to go with this, but at the very least, I'd suggest that, if a student tells you in advance that it would be inconvenient or impossible for them to attend a particular session, you should try to accommodate them if it's possible with reasonable effort.

    In particular, IMO there are other reasons to avoid compulsory lectures, anyway. Just make it clear to your students that being absent does not excuse them from learning the material that the lecture was supposed to teach them (but that you're willing to help them do so, as far as practically possible).

  2. Publish your course schedule well in advance. This goes especially for exams and other things that are compulsory and/or cannot be easily rescheduled, as it allows students to plan their schedules in advance and to make an informed decision on whether they'll be able to properly attend your course.

    You may also wish to ask prospective students to contact you if they'd like to attend your course but find the schedule problematic. At the very least, even if you find yourself unable to accommodate them this time, the feedback will be valuable for planning the next year's / semester's schedule.

  3. Ask your students to tell you if a particular time is inconvenient for them, and make it clear that you're willing to make allowances where possible, especially if multiple students find the time problematic. If you do find that you have several students who'd prefer not to come to class at a particular time, bring it up in class (or e.g. on the course mailing list, if you have one) and see if there might be a way to reschedule the class without unduly inconveniencing anyone else, or even if it would simply make sense to skip it.

    This should go for any reason, not just for religious ones, although those obviously do qualify. All the same, if a significant fraction of your students would really like to, say, watch a football match during a particular lecture, rescheduling that lecture could also be a perfectly reasonable request to consider.

    The important part here is to make your students aware that you want them to tell you if your schedule is inconvenient for them for any reason, that no reason is too insignificant to ask, and that, even if you may not necessarily be able to arrange a perfect accommodation, you'll at least consider all requests. Do remind your students that you're not omniscient, and that if, say, an important lecture happens to overlap a religious event (or a football match), that might just be because you weren't aware of the conflict.

  4. Try to anticipate potential sources of scheduling conflicts, such as major religious events, popular celebrations and, yes, even big concerts or sports events. That seems to be the specific thing you're asking about here, but I'm putting it last on the list because I feel that it's of secondary importance compared to the other suggestions above.

    Sure, it's a good idea to be aware that, say, having a class on Friday afternoon could be problematic for Muslims, and that you probably shouldn't schedule anything important on major religious holidays like Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha (or, for that matter, on Christmas or Easter, either). But, ultimately, it's IMO even more important to get your students to tell you if your schedule doesn't work for them, and to be willing to adjust the schedule or to find alternative solutions to accommodate the students' needs, whatever they may be.

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Ilmari Karonen
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  • +1 for #3. If the teacher is worried that students are not asking off for what would be legitimate reasons due to thinking they cannot, the solution is to ask those students. – trlkly Aug 11 '14 at 07:14
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    Not all courses are lectures and for other formats participation is a major part of the course. – virmaior Aug 11 '14 at 08:39
  • @virmaior: True, that's why I added the "if you can avoid it" bit. That said, there are also many non-lecture activities that one could more or less effectively substitute with self-study (or other means, like extra lab / practice sessions), if necessary. – Ilmari Karonen Aug 11 '14 at 11:00
  • I guess I would think of that backwards. Don't do lecture courses if at all possible. – virmaior Aug 11 '14 at 14:02
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    #3 is good, but might go a bit too far: it almost sounds like “majority rules”, which is not good. I once had a class with a well-established schedule (see #2) where some students wanted to change the schedule to make it more convenient. The instructor agreed, announced it to the class and said we would make the change – unless any students objected, in which case we would not. One student objected, so we did not make the change. I knew that student, and I can say that their reason was much more important than a football match – it was related to their parenting commitments. – Brian Drake Mar 13 '21 at 10:00
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I think I can contribute here as a muslim. Although some of us avoid it due to laziness, a muslim is required to pray 5 times a day, at certain hours. It is like a ritual that requires a clean and quiet place. But if the person has to do something at that time, he can pray later. So a student doesn't need to leave class to pray. He can pray all day's prayings when he goes home.

There is also friday praying which requires a community to pray with. Unlike the other prays (5 times a day) you cannot do this later or by yourself so it can be good if student is allowed not to attend class friday afternoon.

During Ramadan (which is now during summers but in few years will be during school time again) muslims do not eat or drink anything till sunset but people can eat or drink in front of them. If there are evening classes during sunset, it is best if these students who choose to be thirsty and hungry are allowed not to come so they can do their iftar as they require.

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  • He can pray all day's prayings when he goes home! he can but he better not leave the prayers outside the specific times – Kristof Tak Aug 09 '14 at 22:14
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    @WolfgangKuehne that is a different topic. I am talking about the possiblity of making up for missed pray that isn't on friday. – Kogesho Aug 09 '14 at 23:34
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Although the students who move abroad to study in countries which are much different in the religious aspect of they own, do not expect the same religious accommodation as it would be at home, my experience so far has shown that it is a pleasant surprise to them that someone shows interest in accommodating them.

One thing that they appreciate a lot is remembering the Eids (the main holidays) as well as observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan. These days are celebrated together with the family in their respective countries so being far away is hard. In that case receiving some "good wishes" message is very welcomed. Whereas, the best would be if the University of someone organizes the "fast-breaking" (Iftar) dinner.

In addition to that, the Friday prayer is important, if they are allowed not to attend classes during the Friday prayer time, it is very helpful. Last year we received an email from University administration which described their plan of building praying rooms for Muslim students. I have also read that the Katholik University of Leuven has a praying room. That email was very welcomed by the Muslim students.

All in all, I think just acknowledging that you know something about the religion and the important days is heart-warming as they do not expect more than that.

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  • I would be very surprised to find any major university without at least a makeshift prayer room (eg reserved space in a hall). – Frames Catherine White Aug 10 '14 at 11:54
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    *any major university* - ain't that too broad? major university where? US, europe, asia? – Kristof Tak Aug 10 '14 at 12:17
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    I actually mean any. And by I, I mean me. I personally would be surprised. I could be very wrong (and would be interested to learn). (Looking at the continental data, there is a high enough % of muslims to be a very large (or at least notable) minority everywhere except South America and Oceanic islands). So yes I would be surprised if any major university didn't have at least a make-shift prayer room. – Frames Catherine White Aug 10 '14 at 13:04
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    @Oxinabox I don't think the proportion of muslims in the student population is the issue but the organization of universities and the way they deal with religion differ widely. I might be completely wrong about that but it sounds like you might be generalizing about your experience in one (or perhaps a handful) of countries. Without having looked at the issue thoroughly it indeed seems like a very sweeping statement to make. – Relaxed Aug 10 '14 at 17:01
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    My comment was not intended to be generalised at all. It was a statement about me. I was hoping to draw out from Wolfgang (or another user) a explanation of how widely universities differ in how they handle religion. Which could then be incorporated into this answer to improve people who suffer from my misperception (or not if I was not incorrect) – Frames Catherine White Aug 11 '14 at 13:28
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I make zero accommodations for Muslim students. I also make zero accommodations for Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Pagan, Hindu etc. Your religion is your personal business and it should stay your personal business. If my lecture / lab / test runs through your observance time you have two choices: take 10 minutes and keep quiet about it, or leave the room. If it's a test you don't get back in. If it's a lab you may miss something important, like how to handle dangerous chemicals. It would be very ironic if your prayers to your God resulted in meeting Him an hour later because you missed something important.

Tolerance and accommodation work both ways. I simply ask that all observant students show equal accommodation for the rest of the class who are quite happy with a 2:30 start time and don't want to rearrange their day because one person prefers 3:30. My reading of the afternoon prayer schedule, for example, says the time is not fixed: "... till the sun is still bright and enough daylight remains for a person to travel 6 miles". The sun is up until at least 5 in the winter, and 6 miles takes 20 minutes (10 on the highway that runs past campus).

Also, remember on the application form, when the school pointedly did NOT ask any questions about race, gender, color, religion, disabilities, heritage etc.? There's a reason: because the answers are irrelevant to the programs (and schedules) we offer.

one student asked for leave for some religious activity

one student asked for leave for some sports activity

one student asked for leave for some social activity

one student asked for leave for some political activity

How are these questions any different?

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peter
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    I agree wholeheartedly, except for the notion of not allowing students back in; you are not the owner of the room, and there is nothing that gives you such authority. The students paid to have a class, and how they choose to use that time is up to them, and no one else. You are hired to teach, not to set up a dictatorship. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 04:39
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    I would be interested to know what kind of institution you teach at: in the US? public or private? As far as I know, most US colleges and universities have official policy about religious accommodations along the lines of the one I copied in my answer. If your university has such a policy, are you advocating ignoring it? – Pete L. Clark Aug 10 '14 at 04:52
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    @alice : how many teachers allow students to come an go during exams? (I don't really care if they slip out the back door during a lecture) – peter Aug 10 '14 at 07:13
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    @peter How many teachers don't allow students to come in late to a lecture or lab? The idea that you paid for a class and then are denied (re)admittance is sort of silly. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 11:03
  • @alice answer re-read, ambiguity found and edited. – peter Aug 10 '14 at 12:32
  • Sports activities are different because for many students, that's their "meal ticket." – aeismail Aug 10 '14 at 13:57
  • @aeismail The religious institutions are the meal ticket for many, and in many cases are just as public and celebrated. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 14:17
  • @Alice: How are they a meal ticket? – Lightness Races in Orbit Aug 10 '14 at 14:26
  • @LightnessRacesinOrbit Churches, Mosques, and religious institutions of all types are large employers. The Vatican's GDP alone is significant. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 14:28
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    In many countries, there is a subtle hypocrisy in taking this attitude as Christian holidays and practices are embedded in our academic calendar. You claim not to make any accommodation for Christian students but most universities in Western Europe have no lectures on sundays, are closed for Christmas and Easter, etc. Also, most lecturers would also typically be sensitive to issues faced by all students (say public transportation stopping after a particular time of the day). This seemingly neutral stance therefore fails to address the main question here: How should we deal with minorities? – Relaxed Aug 10 '14 at 17:09
  • @Alice: I was referring to the fact that in the US many students are on athletic scholarships, and are thus dependent on remaining on the athletic team to remain in school. That means that they often can't decide not to show up for a game because of an exam. – aeismail Aug 10 '14 at 18:03
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    @Relaxed: A single teaching person might be able to influence a part of the schedule of their class, but the general academic calendar is outside of their control. As such, they are not making any accommodations to certain religions within their realm of influence. It would be rather unfair to accuse them of being hypocritical if the only part that does not match with their statement is entirely outside of their control. – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 20:56
  • @aeismail There are other kinds of scholarships, including religious ones. There is no difference. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 21:15
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    @Alice: There is an enormous difference between NCAA scholarships for athletics in the US, and most other scholarships. I do not know of religious or other scholarships that require daily or near-daily attendance at practices, games, and other events, and may require substantial travel during the course of the semester. "Athletic scholarship recipients" basically have to work a full-time job for free on top of their studies. (If there's a religious scholarship out there with similarly onerous requirements, I'd love to know about it.) – aeismail Aug 11 '14 at 04:42
  • @aeismail (& other sports nuts): ThrowingTheBallAbout120 is a non-credit extracurricular activity and won't get you out of a test either. You are here to learn . If you fail it, the scholarship doesn't work either. I will be happy to write a note for the other professor guy holding the whistle. – peter Aug 11 '14 at 07:23
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    The difference is that freedom of religion is enshrined in our constitution. The difference is that religion is someone's way of life. The difference is that the person may go to hell or an equivalent for not practicing. What you are doing it not tolerance. You are deciding for someone else how important their religion can be. You clearly have a distaste for religion and are letting it influence your actions, as evidenced by cracking jokes about people dying. You've just expressed a distaste for college sports as your reason for not accommodating that. You are not being tolerant. – trlkly Aug 11 '14 at 07:29
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    @Relaxed : "How should we deal with minorities?" Trying to keep them off your lawn? One deals with "minorities" by treating them exactly the same way one treats everyone else. I don't care what you look like, where you came from, or do after hours. But you don't get special treatment either - that's discrimination against the 80%. I do have a stop-line for clothing and disabilities, but that's another discsussion. – peter Aug 11 '14 at 07:30
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    @peter My point was that you are effectively treating some people differently by doing that. And pretending that also accommodating minorities (the majority is already well-taken care of, as I explained) is necessarily discriminating seems silly to me. But either way, “Minorities just have to comply with the majority's customs in every respect” is a valid point of view but a pretty radical one and one that needs to be articulated explicitly because “I treat everybody the same” is a lie in this case. – Relaxed Aug 11 '14 at 08:22
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    @Relaxed: I have no objections at all to working Sundays, national holidays etc. Yes, they began as church days but are now, in our culture, simply conveniences - the religious aspect was lost decades ago. And isn't "treat us the same as everyone else" exactly what the minorities have been asking for years? – peter Aug 11 '14 at 08:45
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    @trlkly : You have the right to practice any belief system you want. So do I. You do NOT have the right to burden me (or your classmates) with your beliefs. Tolerance is also a two-way street. Where's Mr. Quarterback's tolerance and accommodation for everyone else's schedule (or mine, if I have to make a new test or do a lab twice)? How about this: if you want a lab or test rescheduled, YOU sell it to the rest of the students. If they agree, I will come in on any day you want. – peter Aug 11 '14 at 08:56
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    @peter Sports and religion are not in any way equivalent. I already pointed out that religion is more important to the people who practice it. Tolerance requires making allowances for others. You cannot say you are being tolerant by making allowances for no one. Tolerance means treating other people's beliefs as having value, even if you disagree with them. You choose to belittle them, even here. You support making people choose between practicing their religion and their grades. That's not more acceptable than making someone choose between not practicing a religion and their grades. – trlkly Aug 11 '14 at 09:15
  • @peter You are forcing your beliefs on others. They must conform to thinking your class is a religion that must be put above everything else, or else you will give them bad grades. You dress it up as tolerance, but it isn't. You have specifically picked a type of tolerance that will not bother some people but will bother others. You are favoring the non-religious (and, apparently, people who aren't in sports.) Inaction can be just as intolerant as action. – trlkly Aug 11 '14 at 09:29
  • @peter And, yes, a sports student should be allowed to make up a test, too. I've never been to a school where that is not the case. Other reasons also happen. I've had to go to a funeral or take care of my dying grandmother. I've known people whose kids get sick and miss class. Heck, one time I missed a test because I lost my glasses, and I just didn't have to take the test and it didn't count against me. That's the way a tolerant teacher responds. She works with you when there are problems. She does not dictate that things must go her way or else. – trlkly Aug 11 '14 at 09:32
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    @trlkly : Like I said, if the rest of the class is ok, so am I. But you came to my class to learn my subject, the schedule is available before you sign up. If you don't like it there are other classes (and institutions) out there. I expect many devout students have come and gone but they kept it to themselves. Regarding funerals / hospitalization / illness that WILL get you a free pass as it's beyond anyone's control. That test you got to skip was likely just removed from the calculations, but the others counted for more as a result. I've done similar - 20 oral Q. right now -> you pass. – peter Aug 11 '14 at 09:39
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    @peter And isn't "treat us the same as everyone else" exactly what the minorities have been asking for years? Precisely but you know full well that it's not what minority members mean by that and I just explained why you are effectively treating them differently. You might disagree of course but it's hard to see that (rhetorical) question as a good faith argument. – Relaxed Aug 11 '14 at 09:52
  • @peter That's utterly false; in the myriad of years I've been in higher education, many classes occur in a set time frame, semester to semester, and never change. It's meaningless to say the schedule is available if it is nearly identical each time with minor changes. That's like saying "Any color you like, as long as it's black"; it's the illusion of choice, not real choice. – Alice Aug 11 '14 at 18:13
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    @alice : they can't claim they didn't know it was coming. And their choice is to take the class or not. Just choose which is more important to you: good grades or the extracurricular activity. (if the latter, why are you here at all?) – peter Aug 12 '14 at 03:39
  • FYI: Brandeis University that has a very sizable Jewish student body has breaks for both Rosh Hashanah and Thanksgiving. See http://www.brandeis.edu/registrar/calendar/ – StasK Aug 14 '14 at 20:39
  • This answer is oozing with resentment. While I may share some of the underlying feelings, I believe that it is wrong to act them out, not to mention illegal in some places. Moreover the idea of accomodating minorities by treating them the same way as the majority is obviously faulty. The standard way of doing things is tailored to the needs of the majority, and asking a minority to adhere to that is intolerant and discriminatory. – A. Donda Sep 08 '15 at 16:38
  • A simple example is disability: If the lecture room is only accessible by stairs, according to your logic you might say that disabled people just have to enter the room in the same way as everbody else: by climbing the stairs. That they can't do so is their problem, isn't it?! Or they should have known better than to enroll in your course; after all they were given notice of the venue. – Minorities are accomodated not by overlooking their special needs, but by creating a situation where everybody can get by, in this case by making the room wheelchair-accessible. – A. Donda Sep 08 '15 at 16:38
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All good answers here. Ramadan expect your students to fast during the day. As a Jewish Man I understood that fasting is a serious tenet of faith. Also, if you are a Jew or Christian the Muslim considers you a person of the book. Extend the same courtesy. Not saying anything bad... They avoid pork, alcohol and games of chance. If you ever speak of Muhammad... After you say his name say may peace be upon him. Five times a day the call to prayer will go out. Facing Mecca prayers will be said on a prayer rug. Most Muslim countries have a system set up to where the faithful can hear said call... I.E. Iraq which I spent time in or in Istanbul which I loved. You will not see pictures of religious figures or icons as you would in Eastern Orthodox churches, Catholicism or Protestant churches. Meat is eaten and prepared in a similar manner to our kosher standards. They just call it Halal. Anyway, it would take forever to list everything.

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The student must take their own decision, what is more important at the moment: to sit in the class or to make religious activities. The school should not prevent such, but if the one comes then later and means, he wouldn't take part at examine, cause instead to learn he done his religious activities, so he must get his bad note - religious activities aren't an excuse for non-completion of school duties.

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  • Why ought this be true? If the event is scheduled ahead of time, it should be accommodated much in the same way other things are. An exam need not occur at the same time for each student; allowing a student with religious needs to take it early does nothing to benefit them and little to benefit other students if a suitable replacement exam is prepared. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 11:08
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    This ought to be true, cause the rule of personal freedom: you are free to do, what you mean for right. But the environment has own rules too, and if you take your freedom, you must take into account, that if your act disturb third-part rules, you must accept consequences. This isn't my personal rule btw: this rule about religious activities is valid at many schools in Germany, whether you like it or not. – Evgeniy Aug 10 '14 at 11:40
  • If the rules of the environment make no sense or are unnecessarily burdensome, they ought be removed or reworked. Simple as that. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 12:06
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    If a single one means, the rule of community makes for him no sense, so he has to leave the community - simple as that;) – Evgeniy Aug 10 '14 at 13:48
  • @Alice: "if a suitable replacement exam is prepared" - that's kind of the issue. Preparing only one exam already takes away resources from the respective department. Providing even more of those resources for an additional exam is usually out of the question. – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 21:03
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    @O.R.Mapper That is NOT an issue; you are required in most countries (let alone schools) to accommodate people who have physical or mental illness, or who cannot appear for other lawful reasons (jury duty springs to mind). If you are forced to accommodate them, there is no issue in accommodating religious reasons. It is never out of the question. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 21:17
  • @Alice: As I stated in another question, those can be accommodated by allowing them to take part half a year later, when the next iteration of the exam is regularly scheduled. – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 21:20
  • @O.R.Mapper That is not accommodation; that is exclusion and forcing them to retake the class. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 21:21
  • @Alice: That is accommodation, without such a reason as those cited by you, they might not be allowed to just undo their registration for the exam on short notice and take part later. Also, I think you misunderstood; they are explicitly not required to retake the class; their permit to take part in the exam will be extended to the next scheduled re-run of the exam. – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 21:23
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    @O.R.Mapper Again, that is forcing them to retake the class in everything but name; it's delaying their ability to graduate and go into the world. That isn't accommodation; it's in no way convenient to the student, and it requires no adaptation on the teacher or schools part. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 21:27
  • @Alice: Compared to the alternative - failing the exam and possibly getting expelt - I'd say that is pretty convenient. Don't get me wrong - I'd be in favour of more regular scheduled exams per class than once every six months and I do see the benefit in that, but unfortunately, getting the required staff to do that is currently unrealistic. (I'd see an issue with offering a special exam for single people, as that might pave the way for allegations about them getting an easier exam than others etc.) – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 21:42
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    @O.R.Mapper That's sort of like saying a 9mm bullet is pretty convenient compared to getting set on fire; it may be true some abstract sense, but no one is particularly happy with either. If someone is deprived of their ability to take your exam and unfairly punished for it, that's not just and accommodating (and yes, a significant delay is unfair and unjust); it's your job as a teacher to accommodate them, so saying it's unrealistic smacks of not caring about students. I also don't buy the issue with special exams, as the exams ought (after the fact) be a matter of public record anyway. – Alice Aug 10 '14 at 21:48
  • @Alice: Never having seen or inspected a bullet in real life, I am not sure what happens in the described scenario, but I suppose it's nothing desirable. At the universities I'm referring to, it's the job of the employees to do research and to somehow fit in teaching, which successfully creates strong links between teaching and research, but unfortunately also means that there are no resources for doing any teaching beyond what has been regularly planned. With that in mind, university rules are very clear about what happens in case of exams not taken, a delay of a semester (which is by ... – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 22:14
  • ... no means a necessary consequence of taking an exam later, unless the student was directly about to graduate) is not a catastrophe (though that might be different with the Bachelor/Master system now being introduced here), and lastly, if the student cannot solve the tasks of the exam half a year later any more, either the student should question the purpose of their learning or the teacher should wonder whether the exam actually checks the knowledge that students should and can acquire at least semi-permanently. – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 22:14
  • As for exams being public, that's up to the decision of the professors in my experience. Some prefer to not publish exam sheets after the exam so they can reuse tasks, while others provide the previous exam sheets as a means for students to prepare for future exams (which are then completely newly created, for obvious reasons). It is primarily in the latter case that someone will always find some aspect of the exam they failed and claim that aspect was more difficult than in an exam from another semester. – O. R. Mapper Aug 10 '14 at 22:15
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    If a student has to choose between going to class or practicing religion, you have made no accommodation for their religion at all. Saying school must be more important than someone's god is not tolerating religion but denying it. The student has no desire not to do the work. You are forcing them not to be able to do the work by not providing alternative accommodations (which you admit are possible). Making someone choose between practicing a religion and getting a grade is no different from making someone choose between not practicing a religion and getting a grade. – trlkly Aug 11 '14 at 07:59
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    @O.R.Mapper That was the point; your accommodating is between two unnecessarily harsh choices. That's not accommodation. Furthermore, your colleagues are being intellectually dishonest; not publishing results because you might be accused of something is dishonest and shows a lack of integrity. – Alice Aug 11 '14 at 18:14
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    @Alice: I'm not sure where you see the harshness in the available choice. Furthermore, please make sure to read carefully: As I wrote already, when exams are not published, it's so tasks can be reused, not to evade criticism. I suggest you rethink jumping to conclusions and switching to insults so quickly. Thank you. – O. R. Mapper Aug 11 '14 at 21:29
  • "the rule of personal freedom" sounds like a religious belief. As such, it needs to be tolerated. ;-) – A. Donda Sep 08 '15 at 16:44
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Description of Salat:

Muslims are commanded to perform prayers five times a day. These prayers are obligatory on every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty, with the exception being those who are mentally ill, too physically ill for it to be possible, menstruating, or experiencing postnatal bleeding. Those who are ill or otherwise physically unable to offer their prayers in the traditional form are permitted to offer their prayers while sitting or lying, as they are able. The five prayers are each assigned to certain prescribed times (al waqt) at which they must be performed, unless there is a compelling reason for not being able to perform them on time

From the above quote, I would expect the school has to provide time for Muslim students to perform prayer. This could be about 20 to 30 minutes every prayer time, except for Jumu'ah that could be carried out for half an hour to two hours.

recursion.ninja
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roblucci7
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    The school should provide time; it is more difficult to argue that it must provide time, especially given how much variation there is in the times of individual prayers throughout the year. For example, where I live, the afternoon prayer can start anywhere between 14:00 and 18:00. – aeismail Aug 11 '14 at 10:09
  • On Fridays Muslims have to pray, they also need water to wash themselves before they pray, in a group, you should really only take about 10 minutes maximum for them to do this. 2 hours is only at the mosque where the imam lectures about a topic. – Ahmed S. Attaalla Aug 20 '15 at 02:49
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Plus to other recommendations (such as advanced scheduling , ...) some tips on cases, when talking about things some how related to Islam (as a course material).

  1. Stereotypes are usually misleading, each individual reflects his/her specific set of beliefs
  2. Consider existence of variance or some times extreme variance in groups which all are identified with Islam label
  3. Consider that many of them are not observant (usually different nationalities show different proportions in this)
  4. Consider that many political orientations and religious beliefs have found blurred boundaries specially in recent decades and for younger generations. So one talking about some political topic might actually considers it a religious topic or vice versa.
Shahryar
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I have now taught for about ten years to classes with a significant fraction of Muslim students. Here are a few remarks:

  • If you have a class on Friday afternoon, you might want to ask if it needs to be rescheduled or delayed because of the Friday's prayer. A couple of years ago I had a class on Friday starting a 2:30pm: a representative of the Muslim students asked me to delay the class of about 30 min to allow them to come back from the mosque. I told them that 30 min were a bit too much, but 15 min were ok. They replied saying that by hurrying up a bit they would have been able to be roughly on time and we agreed on a 15 min delay. Had they insisted for a longer delay, I would had asked the faculty a rescheduling of the class.
  • I avoid to offer to shake hands to female Muslim students when they come to my office during office hours or after an oral exam.
  • In my classes students participate also to electronics labs, where they divide in groups of 3-4 students each. Sometimes I have to sit among them at their bench to better show how a certain measurement works or to fix a circuit they assembled. In those cases, if there are female Muslim students in the group I pay a bit more attention at not touching them while I'm speaking.

I've never been asked to make any other special accommodation.

Massimo Ortolano
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