Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-religious-holidays-montgomery-school-board-offers-a-lesson-in-intolerance/2014/11/13/d0b58c72-6b60-11e4-b053-65cea7903f2e_story.html

Did anyone read this article from the Wash Post? It's a really good sum-up.

"Those parents have been asking for years — without success — to have at least one of their two major holidays recognized. Then they realized that Montgomery schools will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, because it’s Yom Kippur. That happens to be the same day as Eid al-Adha.

So the Muslim parents asked the school to simply add the name of their holiday to the school calendar. Instead of saying, “Hmm, interesting,” the school board wigged out and voted to eliminate all names of religious holidays from the calendar."

Again, I'm an American, a Muslim, a mom, a room mother at my MCPS school, and a physician in this area. I feel like I serve my community every day. I am deeply saddened to see the hatred and ignorance on this thread,

I wonder if anyone would say these things to my face - or if, in the situation where I am helping their child's teacher - or helping them in a medical emergency - if at that moment, it's ok that I'm brown...

Honest question, do you really think it's because you're "brown"? I actually liked the ruling; I think religion has no place in government and schools.

muslim, brown, whatever you think of me that makes you think i'm not a "real" American.

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-religious-holidays-montgomery-school-board-offers-a-lesson-in-intolerance/2014/11/13/d0b58c72-6b60-11e4-b053-65cea7903f2e_story.html

Did anyone read this article from the Wash Post? It's a really good sum-up.

"Those parents have been asking for years — without success — to have at least one of their two major holidays recognized. Then they realized that Montgomery schools will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, because it’s Yom Kippur. That happens to be the same day as Eid al-Adha.

So the Muslim parents asked the school to simply add the name of their holiday to the school calendar. Instead of saying, “Hmm, interesting,” the school board wigged out and voted to eliminate all names of religious holidays from the calendar."

Again, I'm an American, a Muslim, a mom, a room mother at my MCPS school, and a physician in this area. I feel like I serve my community every day. I am deeply saddened to see the hatred and ignorance on this thread,

I wonder if anyone would say these things to my face - or if, in the situation where I am helping their child's teacher - or helping them in a medical emergency - if at that moment, it's ok that I'm brown...

Honest question, do you really think it's because you're "brown"? I actually liked the ruling; I think religion has no place in government and schools.

New poster here. There is so much emotion surrounding this issue, and the decisionmakers failed to see that. They thought it was about listing a Muslim holiday (which was the modest request) but the slippery-slope people said, "But if we do that, we have to list every holiday..." so they took everything off, thus stirring up more anger and even prejudice than anyone anticipated. In DC, the calendar just reads, "No school--HOLIDAY" and perhaps Montgomery County should have gone that route. You can explain until you're blue in the face that the schools close for financial reasons--about 15 percent absenteeism among teachers, principals and staff on the Jewish High Holy Days--so that it makes financial sense to close rather than pay so much for substitute teachers. But I feel for those who don't have childcare on the Jewish holidays, and who might not have a lot of Jewish kids in the school (it's about the teaching staff, not the kids) and are greatly inconvenienced. Starr's suggestion that we just wipe the Jewish holidays off the calendar (but not the Christian ones) was very poor, and opened the door to this "fix."

I'm Jewish, and attended DC public schools, which couldn't care less about Jewish (or any other minority religious) holidays. I missed exams, field trips, important outside visits. When Muslims say, "it's hard when our kids miss school" I HEAR them. I've been there. I do think that Montgomery County acknowledges Muslim holidays by not scheduling important educational events on the holidays (assuming the teachers have sufficient advance notice), but it is a hardship on the kids and you feel ignored and disrespected. I felt that way in DC, and some years, when I heard teachers joking about how few students came to class, I felt that ignoring our High Holy Days was intentionally disrespectful (though it probably wasn't). I wish the board of ed had addressed this, and explained or laid out clear criteria going forward for the level of absenteeism required to close the school. Sure, it will be an arbitrary percentage. Yes, there will be some "fakes" who say they are observing the holiday when they are not. But the criterion for closing can and should be clear. The Smithsonian museums close on one day: Christmas. This doesn't mean they are "observing" Christmas. It means that so few people will come to the museums on that day that it doesn't make sense to open. They're not closing FOR Christmas--they're closing ON Christmas.

Finally, I'm so sorry that the board of ed has unintentionally stirred up so much religious animosity against Muslims, who face enough as it is. And every year I feel defensive and uncomfortable as I explain that the school isn't closing FOR the Jewish holiday, but ON the holiday for financial reasons. Maybe the county should do a survey asking which days the teachers plan to be absent, for religious reasons. Then there would be some data. There would be a little light. As it is, I don't think the heat will die down. The timing doesn't help, either. This becomes folded into the "war on Christmas." Ah, America.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can always go back to the middle east if they want their holiday-they need to learn "when in Rome.....".

You are really ignorant if you don't know that our country was founded on freedom of religion. IGNORANT!

Actually, more like freedom to choose your own Christian denomination, or none at all, and not have the federal government favor, say, episcopalians over methodists or quakers or catholics. The US constitution was most certainly NOT written with Islam in mind or in any way influenced by it. The founding principles of the US, and of western civilization, are solidly judeo-christian. If they were islamic, in all likelihood any celebration of christian or jewish holidays would be BANNED.

In all likelihood none of us would be here-well except the Muslims that is. Once we cave it will be all over!

That's simply NOT true. have you ever traveled to a Muslim country? Have you ever met a Muslim family? Most Muslim countries - even Pakistan, which has its fair share of extremists - honors world religions - Christmas dinner is done at the big hotels and there are even Christmas trees.

Maybe you should try talking to a real live Muslim?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-religious-holidays-montgomery-school-board-offers-a-lesson-in-intolerance/2014/11/13/d0b58c72-6b60-11e4-b053-65cea7903f2e_story.html

Did anyone read this article from the Wash Post? It's a really good sum-up.

"Those parents have been asking for years — without success — to have at least one of their two major holidays recognized. Then they realized that Montgomery schools will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, because it’s Yom Kippur. That happens to be the same day as Eid al-Adha.

So the Muslim parents asked the school to simply add the name of their holiday to the school calendar. Instead of saying, “Hmm, interesting,” the school board wigged out and voted to eliminate all names of religious holidays from the calendar."

Again, I'm an American, a Muslim, a mom, a room mother at my MCPS school, and a physician in this area. I feel like I serve my community every day. I am deeply saddened to see the hatred and ignorance on this thread,

I wonder if anyone would say these things to my face - or if, in the situation where I am helping their child's teacher - or helping them in a medical emergency - if at that moment, it's ok that I'm brown...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why stop at religious holidays? What aboout Thanksgiving - can I be offended because I am vegetarian? 4th of July? MLK?

I am Italian - should I complain that some of our not so popular, but still important religious holidays aren't on the calendar?

What was so great about the US was the melting pot that it was. Now it has gotten so ridiculous with trying to accomodate everyone's personal preferences. Why not hire some more Muslin, Jewish, etc teachers and keep school open when it is typically closed for Christmas and Easter? Give them the 10 days to take during their religious celebrations. Because right now, it is all about making sure you have a religious voice and not about what makes the most sense. Pretty soon we will be dealing with a PTO system where all students are allotted a certain amount of days of each year for religious purposes.

I think it is a ridiculous decision based on fear. We are looking at a new middle east.....

MCPS took the names of religious holidays off the calendar, which nobody was asking them to do, including the Muslims who were asking for the calendar to list Eid along with Yom Kippur next year, and you conclude from this that we're looking at a new Middle East?

You seem very ignorant.

no, your'e a moron with your falae information and your ignorance and your shear stupidity.

Anonymous wrote:

Making any changes...not making changes...any decision at this point, will open a can of worms. People will feel slighted. The extremists will take it to a new level. The problem with the US is that it is a melting pot and you can't please everyone. So what happens??? Everything that makes life interesting will go away because chances are, it will offend someone.

We can't make any changes, or the terrorists win, except we also can't make any changes, or the terrorists win. Hmmm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why stop at religious holidays? What aboout Thanksgiving - can I be offended because I am vegetarian? 4th of July? MLK?

I am Italian - should I complain that some of our not so popular, but still important religious holidays aren't on the calendar?

What was so great about the US was the melting pot that it was. Now it has gotten so ridiculous with trying to accomodate everyone's personal preferences. Why not hire some more Muslin, Jewish, etc teachers and keep school open when it is typically closed for Christmas and Easter? Give them the 10 days to take during their religious celebrations. Because right now, it is all about making sure you have a religious voice and not about what makes the most sense. Pretty soon we will be dealing with a PTO system where all students are allotted a certain amount of days of each year for religious purposes.

I think it is a ridiculous decision based on fear. We are looking at a new middle east.....

MCPS took the names of religious holidays off the calendar, which nobody was asking them to do, including the Muslims who were asking for the calendar to list Eid along with Yom Kippur next year, and you conclude from this that we're looking at a new Middle East?

You seem very ignorant.

Please explain.

Making any changes...not making changes...any decision at this point, will open a can of worms. People will feel slighted. The extremists will take it to a new level. The problem with the US is that it is a melting pot and you can't please everyone. So what happens??? Everything that makes life interesting will go away because chances are, it will offend someone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why stop at religious holidays? What aboout Thanksgiving - can I be offended because I am vegetarian? 4th of July? MLK?

I am Italian - should I complain that some of our not so popular, but still important religious holidays aren't on the calendar?

What was so great about the US was the melting pot that it was. Now it has gotten so ridiculous with trying to accomodate everyone's personal preferences. Why not hire some more Muslin, Jewish, etc teachers and keep school open when it is typically closed for Christmas and Easter? Give them the 10 days to take during their religious celebrations. Because right now, it is all about making sure you have a religious voice and not about what makes the most sense. Pretty soon we will be dealing with a PTO system where all students are allotted a certain amount of days of each year for religious purposes.

I think it is a ridiculous decision based on fear. We are looking at a new middle east.....

MCPS took the names of religious holidays off the calendar, which nobody was asking them to do, including the Muslims who were asking for the calendar to list Eid along with Yom Kippur next year, and you conclude from this that we're looking at a new Middle East?

Just wait...the extremists are taking note.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No, but it's an African one, and we must remove race and culture from the picture, too.

b/c you know . . . we're all just human beings

Kwanza is most certainly not an 'African one', you best Wikipedia that one, you are in for a bit of an education on the absolute stupidity of that 'holiday'.

You're right that Kwanzaa isn't an African holiday, any more than Christmas (for example) is a European holiday.

But I honestly don't understand why Kwanzaa is stupider than any other holiday (Christmas, for example).

While a some Europeans celebrate Christmas, kwanza isn't celebrated in Africa. It is an American made holiday.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why stop at religious holidays? What aboout Thanksgiving - can I be offended because I am vegetarian? 4th of July? MLK?

I am Italian - should I complain that some of our not so popular, but still important religious holidays aren't on the calendar?

What was so great about the US was the melting pot that it was. Now it has gotten so ridiculous with trying to accomodate everyone's personal preferences. Why not hire some more Muslin, Jewish, etc teachers and keep school open when it is typically closed for Christmas and Easter? Give them the 10 days to take during their religious celebrations. Because right now, it is all about making sure you have a religious voice and not about what makes the most sense. Pretty soon we will be dealing with a PTO system where all students are allotted a certain amount of days of each year for religious purposes.

I think it is a ridiculous decision based on fear. We are looking at a new middle east.....

MCPS took the names of religious holidays off the calendar, which nobody was asking them to do, including the Muslims who were asking for the calendar to list Eid along with Yom Kippur next year, and you conclude from this that we're looking at a new Middle East?

You seem very ignorant.

Please explain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why stop at religious holidays? What aboout Thanksgiving - can I be offended because I am vegetarian? 4th of July? MLK?

I am Italian - should I complain that some of our not so popular, but still important religious holidays aren't on the calendar?

What was so great about the US was the melting pot that it was. Now it has gotten so ridiculous with trying to accomodate everyone's personal preferences. Why not hire some more Muslin, Jewish, etc teachers and keep school open when it is typically closed for Christmas and Easter? Give them the 10 days to take during their religious celebrations. Because right now, it is all about making sure you have a religious voice and not about what makes the most sense. Pretty soon we will be dealing with a PTO system where all students are allotted a certain amount of days of each year for religious purposes.

I think it is a ridiculous decision based on fear. We are looking at a new middle east.....

MCPS took the names of religious holidays off the calendar, which nobody was asking them to do, including the Muslims who were asking for the calendar to list Eid along with Yom Kippur next year, and you conclude from this that we're looking at a new Middle East?

You seem very ignorant.

They are religious holidays. Why do they need to be on a school calendar anyway? All it needs to say is "No school." Parents know not to send their kids that day.

Anonymous wrote:no we're looking like England. look away, do nothing, put no one's anything on anything and see what happens.

what happens is the most cohesive, aggressive group wins.

England? Where there is supposed to be compulsory religious education in the government-run schools, and compulsory collective daily worship?

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-24399813
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-14794472

no we're looking like England. look away, do nothing, put no one's anything on anything and see what happens.

what happens is the most cohesive, aggressive group wins.