Excerpt:
The Muslim community has been pushing Montgomery County Public Schools to close for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha for years. Now, the group Equality4Eid is just asking for the holiday to be listed next to Yom Kippur on the 2015-2016 school calendar, which the school board is expected to approve next November.
On Sept. 23, 2015, schools will already be closed for Yom Kippur, and Eid al-Adha falls on the same day that year. Rather than in a side note that the Muslim holiday is also that day, Equality4Eid wants the school system to list Eid al-Adha next to Yom Kippur. A draft version of the calendar reads "(Note: Eid al-Adha also falls on this date)" and Yom Kippur as the reason for closing.
"It's something that's very, very easy... We're not asking them to close school because school is already closed," said Saqib Ali, a co-chairman of Equality4Eid and former state delegate of District 39. "We're just asking, 'on this piece of paper, can you please list these two holidays equally.'"