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Reader comment on:
Mayor: Muslim Holy Days Shouldn't Be School Holidays
in response to reader comment: Just another example of Muslim values

Submitted by Diana, Mar 15, 2008 14:18

In my experience, Muslim students value education highly. There are exceptions, but most of my Muslim students work hard and show great excitement over knowledge and ideas. Many of them came here specifically for secular education. I'm not denying that some value religion over education. It depends a lot on the country of origin (and the subculture within it), as well as the attitudes of the family, which are often in flux in a new country.

There is something to be said for religious holidays. I'm not religious in a formal sense, but I respect aspects of religious practice. It is possible that a religious holiday here and there could actually help a student's performance.

Also, I don't believe that "more school days" necessarily translates into "more learning." If the schools don't have good curriculum, a lot of that time is wasted. Schools with excellent curriculum can accomplish quite a bit with fewer school days. Also, breaks help students and teachers restore their energies.

The question is where to draw the line. How many holidays can we handle? I rarely agree with Bloomberg, but I see his point here. In a city with such a diverse and changing population, how can we possibly accommodate everyone's religious practices?

The best compromise would be to let kids take certain holidays (limited and specified in advance) and plan something different for the other students on those days--something meaningful and substantial but separate from the regular curriculum.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
I agree that these Muslin "Holy" Days shouldn't be school Holidays!! I don't care if they do make up 10% of... [MORE]	Gailedge	Mar 22, 2008 11:15
I think that the entire month of September and especially 9/11 be be used as a holiday to educate the... [MORE]	Gene	Mar 15, 2008 11:09
Clearly, Muslims would rather have their children in Madrasses than in school. This reflects their general disdain for secular education,... [MORE]	Scott Baker	Mar 12, 2008 09:43
In my experience, Muslim students value education highly. There are exceptions, but most of my Muslim students work hard and...	Diana	Mar 15, 2008 14:18
While I am not in favor of adding any more holidays to the calendar which result in a reduction of... [MORE]	Nina-NYC	Mar 10, 2008 14:03
Once again the Mayor is turning a blind eye to the needs of the people and trying to run the... [MORE]	B Harris	Mar 9, 2008 11:11
When there are churches in Saudi Arabia, then we can talk about muslim holidays. What is with these people and... [MORE]	Lou Stouch	Mar 8, 2008 18:17
In the Islamic world most people are forced under the law to follow these Muslims Holy periods and this includes... [MORE]	Linda	Mar 8, 2008 12:51
Since RomanCatholics,Orthodox Christians.Byzantium etc don't get off all their Holy Days of obligation with the nyc public school calendar either,just... [MORE]	salome	Mar 7, 2008 22:29
I gather that foot washing places set up in every school. Then, perhaps we could have a minaret calling all... [MORE]	exasperated	Mar 8, 2008 18:44
Uhh, I practice some form of plant-root worship and uhh, every Thursday turns out to be the goddess "tuber's" day.... [MORE]	Al Frick	Mar 7, 2008 16:42
see good ole harvard for shria law; hey,all cultures are equally valid except in the land of the koran, [MORE]	tonymixanamixan	Mar 7, 2008 12:59
As a Pastafarian, I believe that September 19th, International Talk Like A Pirate Day, should be an official school,... [MORE]	Joshua Whalen	Mar 9, 2008 13:32

Reader comment on:Mayor: Muslim Holy Days Shouldn't Be School Holidaysin response to reader comment: Just another example of Muslim values

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Comment on Mayor: Muslim Holy Days Shouldn't Be School Holidays

Reader comment on:
Mayor: Muslim Holy Days Shouldn't Be School Holidays
in response to reader comment: Just another example of Muslim values