New York City adds two Muslim holidays to school calendar

[Borgholio]

http://pix11.com/2015/03/04/nyc-student ... this-year/

NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York City is adding two Muslim holidays to the official school calendar, becoming the largest school district in the country to do so, the mayor announced Wednesday.

Starting this year, New York City schools will close to recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, holidays celebrated worldwide by Muslims.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the calendar change one “that respects the diversity of our city” and that will let hundreds of thousands of Muslims families observe two of their faith’s most important holidays.

Also called the Feast of the Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha celebrates the willingness of Ibrahim (or Abraham) to sacrifice his son when God asked him to — a story also found in the Jewish Torah and the Christian Old Testament. It begins in the evening on Sept. 23 this year and ends in the evening the following day. Schools in the city will be closed Sept. 24 in observation, the mayor’s office said.
Egyptian Muslims families buy goods as they commemorate the first day of Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorates Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. Starting this year, the holiday will be added to the New York City school district's official calendar, giving students and teachers the day off.

Egyptian Muslims families buy goods as they commemorate the first day of Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorates Prophet Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. Starting this year, the holiday will be added to the New York City school district’s official calendar, giving students and teachers the day off.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadam, a month of fasting that marks the time in which the Quran was revealed. This year, it will fall during the summer and will be a designated holiday for those students and teachers attending summer school, the mayor’s office said.

de Blasio is expected to reveal more details at a 10:15 a.m. news conference.

Cue conservative outrage and anti-muslim hysteria in 3...2...1...

[Raw Shark]

Cue conservative outrage and anti-muslim hysteria in 3...2...1...

I don't have any of that for you, but here's some liberal meh: Hey, good for them, they got everybody two days off. Can't knock that. Ideally, I'd also like to see a nation-wide Atheism Day that everybody gets off, theoretically to contemplate the possibility that we live in a godless universe, but more-practically to give people a three-day weekend with barbeques and something tangible to thank atheism for.

[Borgholio]

but more-practically to give people a three-day weekend with barbeques and something tangible to thank atheism for.

I thank any god that is convenient for a 3-day weekend.

[Raw Shark]

Monday's aren't usually anybody's holy days, right? This won't step on many toes more than a nice bbq and a day off compensates for.

And even when toes are stepped on, there'd probably be high participation. Extreme fundies who object to the whole thing on principle can hold protest rallies / pot-lucks for it.