Islamic group pressures school board to remove Jewish and Christian holiday. (Florida)
Florida Family ^ | February 20, 2007 | David Canton-Executive Director
votervoice.net
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Islamic organization, has pressured the School District of Hillsborough County to remove the Jewish and Christian holidays Yom Kippur, Good Friday and Easter Monday from the school calendar.
School board members proposed removing the religious holidays during a workshop on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. Ahmed Bedier, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), was there closely monitoring the meeting. The school board members were not considering the addition of a Muslim holiday during this meeting only the removal of Christian and Jewish holidays at the bequest of CAIR.
The school board members will take their vote on Tuesday, February 27, 2007.
"'We're tentatively optimistic - if they follow through with the vote,' said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the local chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations." The Tampa Tribune reported on Wednesday, February 21, 2007, Metro Section, page 1.
This is the same school district that blocked emails from our supporters in November 2005 on this same issue. We are currently involved in litigation against the school district for violating our First Amendment "right to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Please send your email to encourage these school board members not to erase Jewish and Christian holidays at the demands of this Muslim organization.
HISTORY ON THIS ISSUE
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, asked the school board in 2004 to include a Muslim holiday in the calendar. This request led to the recommendation in October 2005 to substitute secular holidays for Yom Kippur, Good Friday and Easter Monday.
However, the school board declined to follow the recommendation to remove these religious holidays after receiving emails from Florida Family Association supporters.
Ahmed Bedier and the Council on American-Islamic Relations continued to communicate their demands with school board officials from November 2005 until today.
School board members met during a workshop today, Tuesday, February 20th, where they proposed removing the religious holidays. Ahmed Bedier, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was there closely monitoring the meeting. The school board members were not considering the addition of a Muslim holiday during this meeting only the removal of Christian and Jewish holidays.
The School District of Hillsborough County is poised to approve the removal of these religious holidays from the 2007-2008 school calendar during their regular meeting on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 5:00 PM.
Please send your email to encourage these school board members not to erase Jewish and Christian holidays at the demands of this Muslim organization. |
