By Ron Miller
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Members of the Maryland Muslim Council were able to question candidates for Baltimore mayor, City Council and the U.S. Senate last weekend as part of its first annual Candidate Forum at the Maryland Academy of Technology and Health Sciences.
“The Muslim community continues to grow in Baltimore by the year,” said Sean Anthony-Stinnet, a member of the Maryland Muslim Council and the head organizer of the event.
“We as a community cannot expect for the issues that are near and dear to us to be heard and dealt with by default,” Anthony-Stinnet said. “It will take more events like this and a joint effort from citizens and politicians to make sure that issues of the Muslim community enter the public consciousness.”
A conversation that appeared frequently throughout the night was the issue of integrating Muslim holidays into public school schedules in counties throughout Maryland, specifically Baltimore County.
Baltimore County’s Board of Education ruling from earlier this month was referenced many times. The ruling determined schools would hold professional development days and close to students on Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim feast days commemorating Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
“Some may not be happy that the schools in Baltimore County are justifying the school closure with a professional day, but progress is progress at the end of the day,” said Calvin Allen Young, a candidate for mayor of Baltimore and participant in the forum.
“The initiative to get schools closed on these holidays was one of great persistence in the Muslim community,” Young said. “Getting the county to pass something like that proves the influence this community can have when it’s put into action.”
Muhameed Jameel, the president of the Islamic Society of Baltimore and a major proponent of the Muslim holiday issue, was also on hand at the event.
“Having heard the board’s decision earlier in the month and now hearing the backing of that decision by politicians gives me a sense of pride for this community,” Jameel said. “The work will probably never be done, but getting these days to have with our families has been our goal for years.”
The school calendar was not the only topic of discussion during Saturday night’s three-hour forum.
Issues of discrimination and violence also came to the forefront. Many audience members were interested in hearing what the candidates involved in the forum had to say about not only the violence in the city of Baltimore over the past year but also the recent wave of violence in the Middle East and Europe.
Kristerfer Burnett, a Baltimore native running for the City Council’s 8th District seat, summarized the discussion well in his comments to the audience.
“There’s an obvious heightened level of racial awareness not just in Baltimore but around the world,” Burnett said. “Unfortunately, discrimination comes hand in hand with that. The main goal of this community should be to promote positivity and prosperity will follow.”