DEARBORN, Mich. -- A Michigan high school football team is holding preseason practices in the middle of the night to help its Muslim players practice both faith and football.
The predominantly Muslim squad from Dearborn says the nocturnal regimen is a way for players to eat and drink while observing the holy month of daytime fasting known as Ramadan that started last week.
The August heat also played a factor in Fordson High coach Fouad Zaban's proposal to reverse the clock for a week of two-a-day practices.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when Kamel Farajthrows of the Fordson High School junior varsity team delivered a pass during practice last week.
Cutting practice wasn't an option at football-crazy Fordson, which is coming off a one-loss season and has won four state titles and three runner-up seasons since it was established in 1928.
But nobody wanted to lessen the significance of Ramadan in the Detroit suburb widely known as the capital of Arab-America.
The moonlight practice is tailored for Adnan Restum and fellow Muslim teammates. READ MORE...
huh, a school moving a school function for religious purposes? I thought that school and religion don't mix. What is really going on?
ReplyDeleteThe article made it seem so logical, what about sleep? The boys are practicing from 11pm to 4am. Don't they have to go to school or do they sleep during the day during Ramadan?
Carrie, I used to practice at night when I would have school the next day, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd before you pull the religion in schools card, my old HS (as well as most around the area) would not serve meat on Fridays in Lent, knowing the majority of students wouldn't eat it. This is nothing to be outraged about.