Christmas, Easter, Jewish holidays dropped after Muslims wanted Eid al-Adha added to school calendar

A Maryland school district will no longer recognize Christian or Jewish holidays on school calendars after members of the Muslim community campaigned for their holy day of Eid al-Adha so to receive equal treatment. 

 

2015-2016 academic year, students will still have days off from school for holidays such as Christmas and Easter, but the calendar will refer to the days as “Winter Break” and “Spring Break.” For Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, the school calendar will be marked as “no school for students and teachers” but not be associated with the religious holidays. 

 

Montgomery County school district voted on the move and the Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr reportedly recommended the move after feeling pressure from Muslim leaders to give students the day off of school to observe Eid-al-Adha. 

 

Fox News noted that Muslim families gathered before the school board meeting, some carrying signs saying “Because our children matter too.” However, many Muslims expressed dismay at the board’s ultimate decision.

 

Saqib Ali, the co-chair of the Equality for Eid Coalition said, “By stripping the names Christmas, Easter, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, they have alienated other communities now, and we are no closer to equality. It’s a pretty drastic step, and they did it without any public notification.”

 

Eid al-Adha is the Muslim Feast (Festival) of Sacrifice, celebrated in September or October. There was no decision to marked this day as “no school for students and teachers,” but a souce says that may still happen.