Some Massachusetts residents don't agree with a school district deciding to give students a day off in recognition of a Muslim holiday.
Cambridge School superintendent Jeffrey Young initiated the day off, saying Eid al-Adha, or the "Festival of Sacrifice," is in line with the district's values of "inclusion and respect." The Cambridge School Committee approved his effort last year, and officials believe the November 7 holiday was the first time a school district in the state has ever scheduled a day to recognize an Islamic holy day.
According to family values activist Brian Camenker of MassResistance, Young has a history of introducing radical ideas in the schools.
"This is being done, I believe, as a gesture -- as an in-your-face gesture -- to offend people, much like many of the other things that they've done and that he's been responsible for over the years," Camenker suspects.
Every year from now on, city schools will close for Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, depending on which holiday falls within the school year. If both occur during the school calendar, the district will only close for one. Though the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center is "ecstatic" about the officials' decision, the family values activist reports that many people have shared their outrage with him.
"The hypocrisy and the double standard against Christians and other religious believers [have] gone hand-in-hand with everything that Jeffrey Young and his cohorts have done," he laments. "So many of the things that they've done have offended Christians."
School committee members say they approved the day off last year because of the size of the district's Muslim population. –One News Now
Cambridge School superintendent Jeffrey Young initiated the day off, saying Eid al-Adha, or the "Festival of Sacrifice," is in line with the district's values of "inclusion and respect." The Cambridge School Committee approved his effort last year, and officials believe the November 7 holiday was the first time a school district in the state has ever scheduled a day to recognize an Islamic holy day.
According to family values activist Brian Camenker of MassResistance, Young has a history of introducing radical ideas in the schools.
"This is being done, I believe, as a gesture -- as an in-your-face gesture -- to offend people, much like many of the other things that they've done and that he's been responsible for over the years," Camenker suspects.
Every year from now on, city schools will close for Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, depending on which holiday falls within the school year. If both occur during the school calendar, the district will only close for one. Though the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center is "ecstatic" about the officials' decision, the family values activist reports that many people have shared their outrage with him.
"The hypocrisy and the double standard against Christians and other religious believers [have] gone hand-in-hand with everything that Jeffrey Young and his cohorts have done," he laments. "So many of the things that they've done have offended Christians."
School committee members say they approved the day off last year because of the size of the district's Muslim population. –One News Now
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