Students and lawyers at Crestwood’s school board meeting.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS
– After months of delays and obstacles thrown their way, students at Crestwood
High School have finally gotten an approval for an Arab Student Union (ASU).

On Tuesday, the
School Board approved the organization after initially telling students that
there was a moratorium on approving new student clubs, because the district
didn’t have the budget to do so.

The district
denies that the club was rejected because of students’ ethnicity and faith.

Mohammed Hojaij,
a senior at Crestwood, is the president the ASU. After initially wanting to
start the club in January, Hojaij said he was instead thrown curve balls by the
administration and the school board. 

In the months
that proceeded, Hojaij was able to garner additional support from students and
teachers to approve the club.

He said because
of the current political climate, an ASU was warranted at the high school,
which consists of a large population of Arab and Muslims.   

“There’s a lack
of cultural awareness amongst students at Crestwood,” Hojaij said.
“Islamophobia is at its peak and the Muslim and Arab students don’t have
opportunities to present themselves in the proper manner.”

The Arab Civil
Rights League (ACRL) stepped in to place pressure on the school board to
approve the club.

Hojaij said he’s
disappointed that the club didn’t materialize earlier in the year. He graduates
in a few weeks, and is preparing to hand the organization over to the freshman,
sophomores and juniors.

In his four
years at Crestwood, he said he was targeted by other students for being a
Muslim and Arab, however he decided to combat it in a productive manner.

“We can’t be
hot-headed about it. We have to stay calm and educate them on what our culture
and religion represents,” Hojaij said. “We want to educate people of non Arab
descent of what the culture really represents. We hope to get people involved
in the community.”

Hadi Baydoun,
who will be a sophomore at Crestwood next year, said he is joining the ASU
because his older siblings were greatly involved with the club at other local
chapters.

“I grew up
seeing the kind of impact it made on our youth,” Baydoun said. “That legacy
needs to be carried over at Crestwood. It makes leaders out of the youth in our
community.”

Before the
school year ends, the ASU plans on holding a cultural festival at the school
consisting of food and entertainment from all of the Middle Eastern countries.
Students also plan to educate their peers about the holy month of Ramadan.