Chattanooga's Muslim teens said they feel a responsibility to help dispel the negative stereotypes of their faith.
Before graduating from Red Bank High School, Abdulazeez said some of the students would harass her. She said she saw that as an opportunity to dispel misconceptions about her faith.

"I'm not afraid to go straight toward them and ask them, 'Do you really know what Islam is?' " Abdulazeez said. "There's this misconception that Islam is a violent religion. Muslims are actually peaceful."

Rasmia Abdulazeez filed for the divorce in February 2009, though she withdrew the complaint 22 days later.

Mohammad Abdulazeez's father, Youssuf Saed Abdulazeez, is a soil engineering specialist for the Chattanooga Department of Public Works.

"The holiday is a reminder to every American of the importance of respecting those of all faiths and beliefs," he said in a statement that also hailed New York City's decision to add Eid to the official school calendar.

That, he said, was "an acknowledgement of the great diversity and inclusiveness that adds to the richness of our nation."

He was conditionally hired as an engineer at the Perry nuclear power plant near Cleveland, Ohio, and spent 10 days there before he was let go in May 2013 because he failed a background check, said Todd Schneider, a FirstEnergy Corp. spokesman. Schneider would not say why, according to the Associated Press.

"He worked in an administrative building," Schneider said. "He was never allowed in the protected area of the plant near the reactor."