CAIR Pittsburgh Welcomes Recognition of Eid Al-Fitr
as School Vacation Day
(PITTSBURGH, PA, 3/11/21) – The Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Pittsburgh), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a decision to recognize the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr as an official vacation day in the Pittsburgh Public School District.
In response to families’ input, beginning next school year, Eid al-Fitr will be a school vacation day. The Pittsburgh Public School District will be voting on March 22 to decide the start and end date of their 2021/2022 school calendar. Both versions of the proposed calendar to be voted upon, include recognition of Eid al-Fitr, as a school vacation day.
SEE: Public Asked to Decide the First Day of School for the 2021-2022 School Year:
https://www.pghschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=9389&dataid=17101&FileName=News%20Release%20Public%20Asked%20to%20Decide%20the%20First%20Day%20of%20School%20.pdf
In a statement, CAIR Pittsburgh Executive Director Christine Mohamed said:
“We welcome this decision to recognize Eid al-Fitr within the Pittsburgh Public School’s calendar. It’s a necessary step and we appreciate the school district’s attentiveness to the diversity of its students and families in our community. We hope other school districts, surrounding Pittsburgh follow suit.”
BACKGROUNDER:
Eid al-Fitr (EED-al-FITTER) or “feast of fast-breaking” holiday comes at the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. During the holiday, Muslims offer public prayers, exchange social visits and seek to strengthen family and community bonds, and greet each other by saying “Eid Mubarak” (EED-moo-BAR-ak), meaning “blessed Eid,” and “taqabbalallah ta’atakum,” or “may God accept your deeds.” Many communities also held multicultural bazaars and other family activities following communal prayers.
Eid al-Fitr is the first of the two major Muslim holidays. The second holiday, Eid al-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha), comes near the end of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Pittsburgh Executive Director Christine Mohamed, 412-606-3601, cmohamed@cair.com
