Muslim Parents Outraged In New Jersey Over No Holiday Closure For Eid al-Adha Muslim Religious Holiday

A vocal throng of Muslim parents and students stormed a Jersey City school board meeting Tuesday night to hear whether or not Jersey City schools would be shut down for their Muslim religious holiday, Eid al-Adha on Thursday, September 24.

And when the Jersey City school board announced their decision, the Jersey City Muslim parents were not at all pleased, and reportedly neither were several of their children, reports NBC New York.

The large Muslim contingency erupted in anger when the announcement was made, the Jersey City school board’s decision to keep school’s open on Eid al-Adha to avoid disrupting the lives of their non-Muslim students and families, apparently a point of sore contention for the Muslims in the audience.

According to the Daily Mail, many of the Muslim parents and children at the school board meeting “screamed in rage and openly wept” when the school board announced its decision, board member Gerald Lyons citing the short notice and “undue hardship” it would cause thousands of other Jersey City school district families.

“Doing this at this point on six days notice for this upcoming holiday is going to cause undue hardship on 5,000 to 10,000 people who are going to have to scramble to get coverage for their children.”

Among those not pleased with the Jersey City school board’s decision not to recognize Eid al-Adha by closing the schools was a lady in a purple head scarf and long, flowing, flowery dress, coupled with black arm bands. Taking to the microphone the woman smiled, gesturing to her fellow Muslim parents, saying, “We’re no longer the minority, that’s clear from tonight. We’re going to be the majority soon.”

At the same time, some Jewish parents also attended the Jersey City school board meeting, with one Jewish man noting that the Jewish community also felt discriminated against because the Jersey City school holiday closures didn’t include Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

While the Jersey City Board of Education originally proposed that schools be shut down for Eid al-Adha, and Jersey City’s city council voted unanimously for the school closures two weeks ago, the Jersey City school board took into consideration the disruptions the closures would have on non-Muslim families, particularly with such short notice.

The Jersey City school board did make clear, however, that Muslim students were welcome to take Thursday off to celebrate Eid al-Adha and would be excused. The Jersey City school board is also planning to review its religious holiday policy in the coming months.

Neighboring New York City schools will be empty Thursday for the Eid Al-Adha Muslim holiday, Mayor Bill de Blasio declaring it so in March.

[Image via NBC New York]