Baltimore County rejects Muslim holidays

The Baltimore County Board of Education rejected a proposal Tuesday to close schools on two Muslim holidays.

Members of the board said that attendance does not drop enough on those days to justify closing the schools, the Washington Times reported. The holidays are Eid al-Adha, the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, and Eid al-Fitr, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The board also rejected a suggestion that the holidays be marked on the school calendar and class time devoted to teaching about them. John A. Hayden III, a member of the board, said that given the number of religions practiced by students in the district teaching about them is impractical.

Bash Pharoan, president of the Baltimore County Muslim Council, advocated closing schools on the holidays, pointing out that the schools are closed for major Jewish holidays.

"This is Islamaphobia," Pharoan said after the board vote. "It is really fear of Islam, fear of Arabs."

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