NYC Schools May Close on muslim Holidays

This should make every American's blood boil. The New York City school system, under pressure from CAIR, may close schools to honor the muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr. In some years those holidays will fall on September 11. They justify this on the basis that schools are closed on Christian and Jewish holidays. But because of the overwhelming numbers of Christian and Jewish students, most students would be out on those days anyway so it doesn't pay to have the schools open. And furthermore this is a Judeo-Christian country in which we give recognition to those holidays, this is not a muslim country. If they don't like it they can return to the sharia ruled countries from which they came. Muslim students are free to stay home from school but the rest of New Yorkers should not be forced to honor their holidays. There ought to be a huge outcry with New Yorkers putting enormous pressure on the board of education not to recognize muslim holidays. How ironic and revolting it would be if on the anniversary of the worst attack ever perpetrated upon this nation, committed by muslims, that the very city in which this attack took place would be commemorating a muslim holiday.

Will the New York City school system be compelled to commemorate Islam on Sept. 11?

It has been widely reported the New York City Council passed a resolution Tuesday recommending the school system shut down to commemorate two of the most important Muslim holidays, however the reports did not note the holidays fall on Sept. 11 in some years.

The council vote, which was non-binding, is at odds with the opinion of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has said he is opposed to adding any more days off to the school calendar. Bloomberg, however, recently relinquished control of the school system to a newly appointed board of education, which could approve the holiday plan.

The Islamic holidays being considered for commemoration are Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr. The former commemorates the Islamic belief Abraham was willing to sacrifice Ishmail. The latter marks the end of the Islamic fast period of Ramadan. Jewish and Christian tradition relates Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, not Ishmail.

Islamic holidays are set based on the lunar calendar, meaning the dates corresponding to the Gregorian calendar change each year. As first noticed by Andrew Walden, publisher and editor of the Hawaii Free Press Eid al-Adha falls on Sept. 11 in the year 2016, according to the accepted Umm al-Qura calendar.

Eid al-Fitr, meanwhile, will begin at sunset Sept. 9 and continue to sunset Sept. 10 next year. The dates, though, depend on the official citing of the new crescent moon as certified by the Saudi "hilal committee," which at times has shifted holidays by one or two days, meaning Eid-al-Fitr could technically also be celebrated on Sept. 11 in 2010.

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