Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when are we adopting Sharia law?

Because closing MCPS schools for 2 major Muslim holidays, in addition to 2 major Christian holidays and 2 major Jewish holidays, is pretty much the same as declaring Islam the legally-established religion of the US?

Don't worry, that's just the first step. I'm sure in a decade or two they will ask for it. They did in every other country they moved to.

Somebody send an e-mail to WTOP and tell them that one of their commenters is lost on the wrong website.

Go ahead and assume that what happened to Christians in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and what is currently happening in England, for example, where people are being slaughtered in broad daylight by men screaming "alla-u-akbar" will never happen where you live.

Anonymous wrote:OP, you were throwing around the "disingenuous" accusation pretty freely a few pages ago.

You know what I think is disingenuous? Your knowingly starting a thread that would stir up passions about Muslims in MoCo, insisting over and over again that this is "a Christian nation" (even after claiming you only mean population, you won't just say that--you keep mouthing the "Christian nation" mantra), keeping the pot stoked and the flame stirred over 9 pages of posts, and then blushing, "Oh, me? No, I'm just being practical. No snark or smugness here."

I rather doubt you care that passionately about whether our schools do or don't add another holiday. You're stirring up anti-Muslim feeling here (or anti-anyone-not-Christian) and you know it.

I brought up the Christian nation thing, and I'm not the OP. And I maintain: This is a Christian nation. All of our culture and conventions reflect that. I'm sorry that bothers you, but it doesn't change the reality.

I'm not stirring up anything. I certaintly didn't "knowingly start a thread that would sir up passions about Muslims in MoCo." I was reacting to something someone else posted.

To further bore down on this, there are 8 congregations of Muslims in MoCo., with 18,426 adherents. That's about 1.5% of MoCo's population.

By comparsion, there are 185,000 Catholics, 150,000 Christians (split between mainline and evangelical), 84,000 Jews. Since someone brought up Hindus, there are 17 Hindu congregations -- twice as many as Muslims.

So, yeah, this request is just dumb.

http://www.city-data.com/county/religion/Montgomery-County-MD.html

Councilman George Leventhal urges all kids to stay home in solidarity:

http://www.mocovox.com/index.php/home-2/7129-councilman-says-stay-home-for-muslim-holiday

http://www.equality4eid.com/

Public schools don't provide space and bathrooms for anyone else based on religion. Some sue to wear a head scarf in jail or even a burka for drivers license id.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/05/local/me-hijab5

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when are we adopting Sharia law?

Because closing MCPS schools for 2 major Muslim holidays, in addition to 2 major Christian holidays and 2 major Jewish holidays, is pretty much the same as declaring Islam the legally-established religion of the US?

Don't worry, that's just the first step. I'm sure in a decade or two they will ask for it. They did in every other country they moved to.

Somebody send an e-mail to WTOP and tell them that one of their commenters is lost on the wrong website.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when are we adopting Sharia law?

Because closing MCPS schools for 2 major Muslim holidays, in addition to 2 major Christian holidays and 2 major Jewish holidays, is pretty much the same as declaring Islam the legally-established religion of the US?

Don't worry, that's just the first step. I'm sure in a decade or two they will ask for it. They did in every other country they moved to.

Most Muslims in the US were born right here. No moving involved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when are we adopting Sharia law?

Because closing MCPS schools for 2 major Muslim holidays, in addition to 2 major Christian holidays and 2 major Jewish holidays, is pretty much the same as declaring Islam the legally-established religion of the US?

Don't worry, that's just the first step. I'm sure in a decade or two they will ask for it. They did in every other country they moved to.

flame stoked, pot stirred.

And adding "+1000!!" to someone who echoes your viewpoint doesn't mean it's shared by 1000 people.

It would be interesting to know if you're a sock puppet in addition to being a disingenuous s**t-stirrer.

OP, you were throwing around the "disingenuous" accusation pretty freely a few pages ago.

You know what I think is disingenuous? Your knowingly starting a thread that would stir up passions about Muslims in MoCo, insisting over and over again that this is "a Christian nation" (even after claiming you only mean population, you won't just say that--you keep mouthing the "Christian nation" mantra), keeping the pot stoked and the flame stirred over 9 pages of posts, and then blushing, "Oh, me? No, I'm just being practical. No snark or smugness here."

I rather doubt you care that passionately about whether our schools do or don't add another holiday. You're stirring up anti-Muslim feeling here (or anti-anyone-not-Christian) and you know it.

This whole thread is very pointless because no one seems to have a solid number on how many Jewish teachers/students are in the system vs. how many Muslim teachers/students. Everyone seems to agree that a reasonable compromise would be to base the holidays based on whether there are so many people of a certain religion that having them all take the day off would make the school day pointless and that should be the policy determining days off.

Why didn't they request this well I don't know for the past million years?

Anonymous wrote:I thought that the reason MCPS closes on the Jewish holidays was because of the number of Jewish teachers who request the days off and the inability to staff the schools. As for the Christian holidays, I assume there is similar logic although they conveniently fall at winter and spring break. Are there enough Muslims teachers in the school system to make this an issue?

+1000!!!!!!!!!

Personally I would rather not have easter/passover celebrated and instead have it the same week each year - i.e. half way between the winter break and the summer break. Moving around is a pain for traveling, families etc. I am not religious and think we should move away from any religion oriented days off. Have a set number of days a year, organize it to work with the school curriculum and be done with it. If the holiday is important to you then take the time off and have the school have an understanding about religious breaks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jew in NOVA here whose kids aren't off for the Jewish holidays. We pull them out but have no issue with it. Muslim observers should do the same.

But in MCPS, which is the school system under discussion, the kids are off for the Jewish holidays, as well as the Christian ones.

If MCPS closes for Christian and Jewish holidays, which it does, this request by the Muslim community seems fair to me.

That doesn't even follow logically. How is it fair?

I'm the poster who said it seems fair. (I'm not the poster who asked you what pair of fair you don't understand, or whatever that was.) Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths; most people who identify as religious in MoCo probably identify as Christian, Jewish or Muslim, in that order.

MCPS closes on holidays associated with Christianity and Judaism. Why not honor this request as well?

MCPS is closed on holidays associated with Christianity and Judisam because it suits THEIR needs for staffing--not because the Christians and the Jews made a request that was honored by the school system.