Etcetera

Hamtramck High School students organize all-girl prom

May 01, 2012, 1:06 PM

The New York Times’ went to Hamtramck High School to cover their all-girls prom. For most, a sex-segregated prom doesn’t sound like much fun, but for the school’s Muslim-American students, it’s the only way they can attend prom and stay true to their religious traditions. According to the Times, 65% of Hamtramck High’s students couldn’t attend a traditional prom.

Before anyone start shouting “creeping Sharia!” (I know I can't stop you, but it's nice to hope) the all-girls prom was privately funded and held at the local Knights of Columbus hall. In some ways, the event is a reflection of the local Muslim community’s assimilation of American culture.

At Hamtramck High, which has 900 students, non-Muslims respectfully tuck away their food and water bottles during Ramadan. The prom reflects a broad cultural shift. “Twenty years ago, parents used to pull fifth-grade girls out of school for arranged marriages,” said Chris Bindas, a library aide who brought chocolate-dipped cream puffs to the prom. “Now these same girls are going to college” — albeit a college close to home, where the girls will continue to live with their parents.

-- JW


Read more:  New York Times


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