Taroudant - More than 1,800 state schools in New York will close for the first on September 24 on the occasion of the Muslim feast of sacrifice, known as Eid Al Adha.
The decision, which is considered the first of its kind in USA, will give a chance to about 1.1 million children in America’s largest school district to take the day off and celebrate Eid Al Adha with their families and loved ones without skipping any classes.
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, unveiled the new policy last March, announcing that New York state schools would get two days off for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
Schools in New York City are already closed Wednesday for the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur, also known as Day of Atonement, which is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
The Muslim community welcomed the decision saying that it is a “hard-won victory,” at a time when Islamophobic acts are on the rise in America, Europe and Australia.
According to the French news agency (AFP), Linda Sarsour, a member of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays and a New York activist with three children, said that “It is a huge victory to actually see the day come.”
“As an imam as well as a parent I am very happy,” Imam Shamsi Ali, director of the Jamaica Muslim Centre in Queens, told the same source “I’m sure this kind of policy from the government side will push Muslims further to feel a sense of belonging,” he said.
The American Muslim community are hoping that other American states will follow the example of New York and include Muslims’ two major ceremonies into their schools’ holiday calendars.
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