BOB ABERNETHY: The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is nearing its end. During this time, Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk and abstain from food, water, cigarettes, sex, even from anger. Ramadan is also a time of fellowship, but this year, the mood was dampened by the bombing of Iraq, a predominantly Muslim nation, just prior to the start of the holy month. From Brooklyn, New York, Anisa Mehdi reports on an Egyptian-born woman and her mission to explain the meaning and joy of Ramadan to her American-born grandchildren and their schoolmates.

ANISA MEHDI: It was a brisk December day, near the beginning of Ramadan, as Samira Elfiky waited for her granddaughter after school. P.S. 312 in Brooklyn's Bergen Beach neighborhood had become a December-friendly place for 10-year-old Yasmine. This holiday season, classrooms were decked out with Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs, and the crescent and star, the symbol of the Muslim people.

Getting Ramadan recognized in the public schools has been a one-woman crusade for Elfiky. The neighborhood she lives in has only a few Muslim families. And she wants her community to know about Islam, for Yasmine's sake and for future generations.

Ms. SAMIRA ELFIKY: She felt, seeing all these decorations, nothing for herself; that's not good. So I start to go to schools and talk about it, and give opportunity for other children to know about them, which is very important.

MEHDI: How have your classmates reacted to knowing more about Ramadan?

YASMINE SOLIMAN: They just kept on asking questions about fasting, when you start and when you end, questions about how you celebrate it and like why.

Ms. ELFIKY: All these teachers I met -- they feel like they are educated and they know when the child feel good about themself, what that means. It means, you know, very simply, they excel academically.

MEHDI: This is the third year for programs on Islam and Ramadan at P.S. 312. They come with the Christmas and Hanukkah curricula. But even with inclusiveness, religion is a sensitive subject for the public schools.

The Board of Education would not allow cameras in the classrooms. Another mom who helps Elfiky with the Ramadan program says it was controversial at first.

Ms. DINA TAHMY: The principal was afraid that this might turn into some, you know, conflicting points of view, some parents might object. But we worked things out. We try to take the cultural aspect of it and, you know, just bring out some few good points about Ramadan, what you're supposed to do in it, and that's all.