Schools, More Districts
Closing on Muslim Holidays
By Debra Nussbaum
In Paterson, there has
been no school on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur for years. But
now the schools are also closed on the Muslim holidays of
Eid al-Fitr (the end of the month of fasting for Ramadan)
and Eid al-Adha (the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca). Prospect
Park schools generally close for the first and last days of
Ramadan and Eid al-Adha. Atlantic City added two Muslim holidays
to its school calendar in the last three years. ..
Districts like Cliffside Park that added a Muslim holiday
‘’have come a long way,’’ said Afsheen
Shamsi, community relations director for the New Jersey office
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. ‘’We
are hoping that more school districts will take off the Muslim
holidays,’’ she said. ‘’America is
a country where we bring together people of diverse faiths.
New Jersey is a great state and attracts people of diverse
backgrounds.’’ (Courtesy New York Times)
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