“I do not know any religion which prohibits learning on religious holidays,” Dr. Robert Sczech wrote

NEWARK, NJ — Sczech, a professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Rutgers University in Newark, responded to a student’s request for a religious absence by claiming that he was certain that attending classes on a religious holiday is not prohibited, and then proceeded to ask the student to provide documentation proving that she should not attend class on a religious holiday.

“Mathematics is a creation of God,” Sczech wrote in his email to Zoha, the student who had emailed him. “By learning mathematics, we worship indirectly God. For that reason, mathematics does not offend God. To the contrary, studying mathematics means honoring God.”

“I will accept [a religious leader’s] confirmation as a valid excuse for your class absence,” Sczech wrote.

Eid ul-Adha, one of two major Muslim holidays, fell on Thursday this year and in anticipation, Zoha, whose last name has been withheld for privacy purposes, emailed her professor requesting a religious absence.

“This is [a] time of the year when you should really be with your family and friends and celebrating,” Zoha said, referring to Eid ul-Adha. “I was very surprised when I read [my professor’s] email.”

In her email response to Sczech, Zoha explained that Eid carries a similar significance to Muslims that Christmas carries to Christians.

“The only difference is that while [Christmas and Eid] are religious holidays…we are off for Christmas for more than a few days but we don’t get a single day off for Eid,” Zoha wrote. “Muslims deserve to spend this day with their families as well.”

The next day, after sending his first email, on September 23rd, Sczech emailed Zoha apologizing and stated that she would not be penalized for missing class or a quiz on her holiday. By then, Zoha had been contacted by the Chancellor’s office and a university-wide email had been sent as a reminder of university policy 10.2.7, which allots students’ their right to be excused from class without penalty for religious holidays.

Sczech told The Observer in an email that while writing his initial email to Zoha, he was not fully aware of the policy and now declares his support for it.

“Whenever students ask me to excuse them form attending classes, I always remind them that missing a class comes with the additional duty to learn the material on their own,”Sczech wrote to The Observer.

“It is surprising how a professor could not be aware of University policies and not know how to speak to a student,” Saaad Admani, president of the Muslim Students Association, said. “We [the MSA] will be looking at all avenues in the coming weeks to make sure nothing like this ever happens again on this campus.

The Student Governing Association (SGA) also released a statement indicating that it is not beyond a student’s responsibility to respectfully inform their professor of the approach of their religious holiday and their wish to be excused from class.

“If there is a religious holiday approaching for you, it is not your headache to provide valid proof to faculty, staff, or administration,” the statement, released on Thursday, read. “You are protected under the code of the student, the university policy on course attendance, and the United States Constitution.”

Rahimah Faiq, SGA president, was also in shock that Sczech was unaware of university policies.

“I was appalled that a professor could talk to a student in that way regarding their religious beliefs and faiths,” Faiq said. “I was even more appalled that someone who is employed by Rutgers University was either unaware or decided to blatantly ignore NJ State laws, not to mention university policies.”

Yesterday evening, the MSA, Intervarsity Club, Coptic Society, and the Newman Catholic Club convened in the SGA office in order to discuss future steps with the SGA.

“It’s upsetting that this occurred at the most diverse university in the U.S., but we want to use this event as a learning experience,” Faiq said. “We’d also like to emphasize that the SGA is the students’ advocate. We want to amplify student voice and relearn our rights.”

Published by The Observer