New Jersey School District Responds To 'Inflammatory' Ramadan Flyer

The flyer, which drew complaints from parents, emphasized the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called the U.S. "a co-conspirator with Israel."

A New Jersey school district has apologized after receiving criticism over an assistant principal’s “inflammatory” Monday flyer about Ramadan that highlighted “Muslim oppression.”

The flyer, distributed to students and staff at Columbia High School in Maplewood, described the importance of Ramadan, the holy month observed by Muslims. It went on to acknowledge oppression in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and other countries, as well as emphasizing the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory of Gaza amid Israeli military strikes.

“When we speak about celebrating Ramadan within the U.S. context, it is imperative to contextualize that the U.S. is a co-conspirator with Israel, preventing Muslim Palestinians from partaking in Ramadan as the Israeli Zionist occupation enacts a genocide against them,” the flyer said.

After parents complained about the flyer, Kevin Gilbert, the acting superintendent of the South Orange and Maplewood School District, sent an apology letter to “families, staff, and community members,” according to NBC News.

“The document was not reviewed or approved by any district office or personnel, and while the intention of sharing the document was to provide a resource, serious content was overlooked,” Gilbert said in the apology letter. “This resource contained language that, at any time, would be inflammatory but, particularly now, is deeply problematic and inappropriate for our schools.”