New York: It's a problem that may be familiar to people from non-Christian faiths in many parts of the Western world: having to choose between work or school and celebrating your own religious holidays and traditions.
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This was the problem faced by Muslim kids and their parents in New York, when the holy days of their religion fell on a school day.
"As a New York City public school student, I was marked absent when observing Muslim holidays," said Mona Davids, president of the New York City Parents Union. "As the parent of two public school students, my children have been marked absent for observing our Muslim holidays."
It was with this quandary in mind that New York City's mayor Bill de Blasio announced that schools in his city will close for a Muslim holiday for the first time later this year, just as they already close for many Christian and Jewish holidays.
All students, no matter what their religion, will get a day off school on September 24 in recognition of Eid al-Adha, Mr De Blasio announced on Wednesday morning, in a move that reflected the diversity of the city.
Until now in New York, students were permitted to take the day off without penalty to observe such religious holidays, but it meant missing out on classes.
"Hundreds of thousands of Muslim families will no longer have to choose between honouring the most sacred days on their calendar or attending school. This is a common sense change, and one that recognises our growing Muslim community and honours its contributions to our city," Mr De Blasio said.
The NYC school calendar already recognises Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and Christian holidays such as Christmas and Good Friday, for which all students get a day off. The Islamic holidays of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr will now become a permanent part of that calendar.
Muslim parents in New York have long campaigned for the change, arguing a move by the school system to recognise holy days in their religion would help their children be proud of their faith and feel a part of the city, according to a report in The New York Times. Around 10 per cent of students in NYC public schools are Muslim.
Schools chancellor Carmen Farina said the new holiday would also have the effect of providing a "teachable moment" for students who weren't Muslim.
"This new addition will also enable . . . our students to learn about religious tolerance and the societal contributions of various cultures," she said.
New York is not the first the city in the US to observe an Islamic holiday, with the move following similar decisions in school districts in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
A push is also underway from members of New York City's Indian community for Diwali, an important Hindu holiday, to be recognised.
