Thursday, March 05, 2015
Political Mayhem Thursday: Muslim Holidays and Public Schools
In a move that will probably keep right-wing news outlets outraged for months, New York City has announced that their public schools will close for the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The District already recognizes several Jewish and Christian Holidays.
Is there a problem with this?
Is there a problem with this?
Comments:
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NO! The only problem is the idiocy of those who will oppose it blathering about "America a Christian country". BTW, America is a pair of continents, and the United States is the country!!!!!!
BTW, did you get the ad I sent to you?
BTW, did you get the ad I sent to you?
# posted by 
: 9:27 AM
: 9:27 AM
It's a great idea and puts the decision made by Montgomery County MD to shame. Only problem I see (because I learned about this when I was trying to schedule tests for my community college classes) is that Eid is celebrated on different days by different groups (nationalities and "denominations" of Islam)
I like it.
America has always been a nation existing with the combination of an intentionally secular government by, for, and of very religious people. For well over a century those religious people were mostly evangelical Christians, which rendered a very Christian national culture, which greatly influenced the political and governmental culture. During the twentieth century, American political culture went to great lengths to be more inclusive of Catholics and Jews (and, as an aside, also tolerant of athiests)--which led us to coin a phrase: the "Judeo-Christian" history (ethic, worldview, influence, etc.). In our attempt to be more inclusive, we now mention more an more of the world religions that go into making the modern American collage. It seems to me for lots of good reasons (politics and demographics to name only two), a good time to recognize the value of our Muslim neighbors in this time-honored public way.
America has always been a nation existing with the combination of an intentionally secular government by, for, and of very religious people. For well over a century those religious people were mostly evangelical Christians, which rendered a very Christian national culture, which greatly influenced the political and governmental culture. During the twentieth century, American political culture went to great lengths to be more inclusive of Catholics and Jews (and, as an aside, also tolerant of athiests)--which led us to coin a phrase: the "Judeo-Christian" history (ethic, worldview, influence, etc.). In our attempt to be more inclusive, we now mention more an more of the world religions that go into making the modern American collage. It seems to me for lots of good reasons (politics and demographics to name only two), a good time to recognize the value of our Muslim neighbors in this time-honored public way.
This might actually help Duke University in their debate of whether to chime the Muslim call to prayer from the bell tower on campus. I feel it would be appropriate to do so for a major Muslim holiday(s) just as they have allowed the Shofar to be blown in celebration of the Jewish New Year.
If you haven't read Graeme Wood's piece in the Atlantic Monthly, March 2015, "What ISIS Really Wants," and its illuminating perspective on Islam generally, ("The Religion of Peace."), maybe you should. Nothing in the piece makes me comfortable with the sentiments of Muslim holiday advocates, or with anything else Muslim.
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