Mulsims want schools closed on their holidays

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Muslims shouldn't get the holidays off unless the Jews get ALL of their religious holidays off. This would include the first two and last two days of Sukkot, the second day of Rosh Hashanna, the first two and last two days of Passover, among others.

Right now, Jews in MCPS get 3 of their holiest days off, Yom Kippur, the first day of Rosh Hashanna, and the first day of Passover. Christians get their 3 holiest days off, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday (no particular order for either of those). The Muslims seem to be asking for one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Muslims shouldn't get the holidays off unless the Jews get ALL of their religious holidays off. This would include the first two and last two days of Sukkot, the second day of Rosh Hashanna, the first two and last two days of Passover, among others.

Right now, Jews in MCPS get 3 of their holiest days off, Yom Kippur, the first day of Rosh Hashanna, and the first day of Passover. Christians get their 3 holiest days off, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday (no particular order for either of those). The Muslims seem to be asking for one.

No, MCPS does not close on the first day of Passover. If MCPS is closed on the first day of Passover, it's because the spring break falls around (Western) Easter because Maryland state law requires schools to be closed on (Western) Good Friday and (Western) Easter Monday, and Passover and (Western) Easter are often at generally the same time.

And the Equality for Eid Coalition is actually asking for two holidays: Eid-al-Fitr (at the end of Ramadan) and Eid-al-Adha (marking the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca). (Eid-al-Fitr will be in the summer for a while.)

http://www.equality4eid.com/FAQ.html

[Anonymous]

I wish they'd do an anonymous survey. Even the majority of christians don't have any religious observance on good friday or easter monday, so it's silly that it's still a state law - but not anything MCPS can change. Maybe we'd find there are few enough jewish teachers or kids that would stay home for observance that we could drop some or both of those, too. This would be so much easier to decide if the system wasn't county wide. Heck, I know of schools that close for the first day of hunting season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Muslims shouldn't get the holidays off unless the Jews get ALL of their religious holidays off. This would include the first two and last two days of Sukkot, the second day of Rosh Hashanna, the first two and last two days of Passover, among others.

Right now, Jews in MCPS get 3 of their holiest days off, Yom Kippur, the first day of Rosh Hashanna, and the first day of Passover. Christians get their 3 holiest days off, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday (no particular order for either of those). The Muslims seem to be asking for one.

Easter for all Christians falls on a Sunday - so there is never a conflict with school. For Orthodox Christians, our Good Friday (one of our Holiest days of the year) is not a day off for our kids 3 out of 4 years. Our Good Friday usually falls on a different day than other Christians because we do not follow the Roman Calendar as other churches do.

So to correct the poster above, Orthodox Christians only have Christmas off as far as the MCPS calendar is concerned. Christmas is also a Federal and State holiday as well as most business are closed that day, so regardless of your religious beliefs, it makes sense for schools to be closed on Christmas. If we feel our children need to attend services on Good Friday, the Epiphany, a particular Saint's day, or any other religious holiday that is significant to our family, our kids receive an excused absence from the school. We don't protest and try to extend the whole school year for everyone to meet our family's religious beliefs.

To research this matter, MCPS looked at the attendance pattern in past years for the day the Muslims are protesting. The absentee rate was not significantly altered across the county on that particular day. There is no need to add another holiday to the school calendar.

[Anonymous]

To be fair, if Jews and Christians get the days off, then give the Muslims their day.

Christians started this country (well, Native Americans aside. . . oops). So of course, Christianity runs the nation.

But b/c so many Jewish women were educators, their days off burdened the system. So instead of paying for subs, the system added in Jewish holidays. It was a financial decision - not a religious one.

At this point, one more day won't kill us. It creates childcare issues for working parents. I understand that as a working parent, but fair is fair.

So we either don't honor those days and end up with a school filled with subs and classes half full (in some areas, not all), or we build them in as days off.

Take a day off if you can and spend time with your kids. That's the best solution.

[Anonymous]

Fair is not same. To not be penalized for taking a religious holiday off is fair. How on earth are we going to deal with Ramadan in a manner that is "fair"? No tests for a month? no athletic meets? It's not fair that some are fasting and some are not, right? what about kids eating or drinking in front of fasters?

When they have the numbers either in student or staff, then perhaps yes. Until then, take your legally allowed day and everyone else attends. (or else I want solstices and equinoxes off. That's usually only 2, sometimes 3 days depending on the school calendar .)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fair is not same. To not be penalized for taking a religious holiday off is fair. How on earth are we going to deal with Ramadan in a manner that is "fair"? No tests for a month? no athletic meets? It's not fair that some are fasting and some are not, right? what about kids eating or drinking in front of fasters?

When they have the numbers either in student or staff, then perhaps yes. Until then, take your legally allowed day and everyone else attends. (or else I want solstices and equinoxes off. That's usually only 2, sometimes 3 days depending on the school calendar .)

Nobody is asking for Ramadan, though. American Muslims are very used to fasting while everyone else is eating. They just want Eid.

[Anonymous]

They get an excused absence, that is suffice.
Muslims are not a large portion of the county's student populace - not in absolute nor relative terms. If one or two particular schools are magnets for a cliquey group then they can discuss their demands with the school not the county.

This has already been played out in other school districts, universities, etc. The numbers just aren't there.

[Anonymous]

22:28 - Asking for Eid at this moment, but in the UK and in several US school districts Ramadan issues have come up. So when basing the decision on "fair" the next extension is to the fast. And when we apply the same logic, it gets very complicated.

The central american families I know celebrate 3 kings day (epiphany) not christmas - that's not til Jan 6 when we are all back at school. Russian Orthodox Christmas is Jan 7. So in this case fair is a superficial argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fair is not same. To not be penalized for taking a religious holiday off is fair. How on earth are we going to deal with Ramadan in a manner that is "fair"? No tests for a month? no athletic meets? It's not fair that some are fasting and some are not, right? what about kids eating or drinking in front of fasters?

When they have the numbers either in student or staff, then perhaps yes. Until then, take your legally allowed day and everyone else attends. (or else I want solstices and equinoxes off. That's usually only 2, sometimes 3 days depending on the school calendar .)

Nobody is asking for Ramadan, though. American Muslims are very used to fasting while everyone else is eating. They just want Eid.

Most American Muslims are secular and are not fasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:22:28 - Asking for Eid at this moment, but in the UK and in several US school districts Ramadan issues have come up. So when basing the decision on "fair" the next extension is to the fast. And when we apply the same logic, it gets very complicated.

The central american families I know celebrate 3 kings day (epiphany) not christmas - that's not til Jan 6 when we are all back at school. Russian Orthodox Christmas is Jan 7. So in this case fair is a superficial argument.

Fasting isn't a holiday. It can be done anywhere.