(COLUMBUS, OHIO 4/6/2022) This week, CAIR-Ohio submitted proponent testimony to the Ohio House Higher Education and Career Readiness Committee on House Bill 353, known as the “Testing Your Faith Act,” in support of the bill protecting religious accommodations for Muslim college students.
If enacted, the law would require Ohio’s public higher education institutions to adopt a policy providing students with religious accommodations. Namely, it would require the state’s public colleges and universities to allow three days of excused absences each year for religious observances and alternative accommodations for exams and classwork during those absences.
CAIR-Ohio is consistently responding to questions and requests from Muslim college students around excused absences and late classwork for Ramadan and other Islamic observances; space to pray on campus; and other reasonable accommodation needs.
“These accommodations are not just an important aspect of inclusive environments; rather, they are a necessity to practicing our faith free from discrimination,” said CAIR-Ohio Outreach and Government Affairs Director Whitney Siddiqi in her testimony.
While some institutions have religious accommodation policies in place, it can be difficult to navigate for students, and often it is left to the discretion of each professor to excuse absences.
This law would set a uniform standard across classes and campuses.
“Students should not have to choose their education over their faith or vice versa. We need a law that protects and provides a baseline of accommodation for every student. While we must continue to do more to ensure equity for religious minority students, HB 353 is a necessary first step to ensuring college students can practice their religious beliefs while at the same time achieve academic success,” said Siddiqi.
