What about the rest of the religions?
Posted by Suhail on 12-16-2007 in Should Eid be a national holiday?Well, if that's the case than you should also support breaks for other religions in the world. The fact is, you simply cannot support every type of religion or belief. You cannot ignore that the majority of Americans are Christians and it's difficult to break a tradition in America that has gone on so long. Really it's case of compromise.
I do know that many companies and schools are lenient if you can explain to them that you need to take a break for a certain religious activity. The best way to go about this is not by creating another national holiday but by garnering support for institutions to recognize that it is okay and usual to take a day off for your religion if necessary, at most a few times a year.
Additionally, if you reference a wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_holiday, you'll notice that Christmas is actually a Federal holiday, not a national holiday. And you should believe that 'Christmas break' is generally designated as 'Winter Break/Holiday' and is designated by the state you live in.
In response to: Eid should be a national holiday
In a country where it is said there is no national religion, and there are over 3 million Muslims, there's no reason Eid should not be a national holiday. The government already sets aside the Christian holiday of Christmas aside as a day where all public sectors close, there is no reason other religions should not be accommodated. It is not fair for Muslims to have to take sick days from school or work in order to celebrate their faith.