Kamal Ghorui
A Ramadan display at a Texas school was taken down on Monday after the authorities said it broke rules on keeping schools neutral in politics and religion.“Because the display was religious in nature, campus leaders were directed to remove it,” the district told the Houston Chronicle. A spokesperson said the removal followed a complaint from a parent at the Bunker Hill Elementary School.The decorations were put up by the Parent Teacher Association’s cultural awareness committee, said chair Casey Kaf Alghazal. She said the school has shown Ramadan decorations in the past.Kaf Alghazal said the removal felt politically motivated. The committee has also put up decorations for Hanukkah, Christmas, and Easter. She said she had offered to provide a nativity scene at Christmas, but no one accepted.“My kid felt seen. That’s all it was supposed to be — for every kid to feel seen,” Kaf Alghazal said. The Harris County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative group focused on parental rights, posted photos of the display online last week. The Instagram post showed a “Ramadan Mubarak” sign, crescent moons, stars, and lanterns. The crescent moon and star are recognised as Islamic symbols.On social media, the group Moms for Liberty wrote: “Christmas trees, Easter eggs and bunnies are permissible because they are secular symbols, but crosses are a symbol of Christianity and therefore not permitted, just like a crescent moon shouldn’t be. You cannot promote any particular religion IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL. This is per US LAW.”Kaf Alghazal said it felt like an anti-Muslim bias, noting that other religious symbols, such as the Star of David and Menorah, had stayed on display before. After the Ramadan display was removed, she said the PTA also took down Easter decorations to be fair.“So, all the kids are now suffering because of this,” she said.The incident comes amid debates in Texas over religion in public schools, including rules that bar some Islamic schools from joining the state’s private school voucher programme. Conservative commentator Amy Mek also shared the story on social media, praising the act of removal and calling it a win for parental rights.She wrote on X: “Texas stays strong, unapologetic, and Sharia-free. We’re winning! Keep fighting, Patriots!”
