RSS Feed
Dear Mr. Mayor, Better Fight Other Battles
The New York City Council last week voted to add two Muslim holidays to the city's public school calendar, citing the annual observance of Christian and Jewish holidays. Mayor Bloomberg objects, saying the city isn't obligated to accommodate all faiths: "If you close the schools for every single holiday, there won't be any school." Who's right? In a country with so many faiths, should public schools observe any religious holidays?
Dear Mayor Bloomberg,
Yes, we know, you just want to keep kids in school, make sure they get as many days of education as they can. That's commendable. But do you really want to throw yourself in front of the oncoming train of local school officials extending public recognition to religious holidays? New Yorkers generally like you, quite possibly because your un-showman-like pragmatism is such a breath of fresh air after the long, long years of Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani. New Yorkers want you to have a political future.
Trying to block potential school holidays poses some big political problems, Mr. Mayor. Good luck trying to get around them.
One (already noted in news accounts) is that growing populations tend to feel disrespected when elected officials argue against recognizing their holidays. Do you really want NYC Muslims making it a point to vote against you first chance they get? (And don't think that members of other, smaller religious groups aren't watching this play out.)
Two, do you really want to put yourself, as holder of a secular office, in the uncomfortable position of seeming to favor Christianity and Judaism as the two faiths deserving of school holidays? Probably not.
So, you may be tempted to think, "O.K., let's just not recognize any religious holidays! Isn't that what separation of church and state means?!" Sorry, but that dog just won't hunt, either.
Mr. Mayor, having grown up in Boston, you ought to be well aware of why. Bostonians celebrate a holiday called "Evacuation Day," which marks the date in 1776 when the British shipped out (or, evacuated) their fair city. But that that date just happens to be March 17 probably didn't escape local politicians and their supporters. What better way to celebrate the absence of British troops than with a St. Patrick's Day parade!
So, sure, get rid of all the public school religious holidays... and let's just sit back and watch creative local politicians come up with purely secular observances that just happen to coincide with the fixed or moving dates on various religious calendars.
We could start with December 25. Say, wasn't that the date George Washington crossed the Delaware?
By
Gustav Niebuhr
|
July 8, 2009; 2:47 PM ET
Share This: 
Technorati
| Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
Previous: America Has More Than 3 Faiths |
Next: Breaching the Wall
Posted by: drzimmern1 | July 11, 2009 12:42 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Dear Mr. Niebhur,
First, let me say that I favor eliminating religious holidays altogether. Failing that, I think we must grant religious holidays to all religious groups, not merely, Christians/Catholics, Jews, and Muslims.
DO YOU really want Orthodox Christians to go on believing that you favor days off for Christmas and Easter following your Protestant calendar, Mr. Niehbur? Is that what you really want? What are you going to do about this deplorable situation? Don't you think it's gone on for long enough?
---------------------------
As for this: "Do you really want NYC Muslims making it a point to vote against you first chance they get? (And don't think that members of other, smaller religious groups aren't watching this play out.)"
You are threatening Blumberg? LOL!!! He has the overwhelming support of Muslim and Christian voters in NYC for reasons having nothing to do with holidays, and those reasons are what count.
Not the case for this brown Jewish New Yorker, Mr. Niebhur, who, like many other Jews in New York, would like a more liberal mayor.
Grow up, please, sir. Do the requisite research before you post, and save the rhetoric for occasions that demand it.
Posted by: Farnaz1Mansouri1 | July 8, 2009 6:53 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The comments to this entry are closed.
I think that the addition of two muslim holidays to our calendar can best be described as "the camel's nose is under the tent". Its an opening for the movement now in process to islamicize our nation.
The muslim religion has problems:l. It debases women. Our girls should not be exposed to this 7th century thinking. 2.It is not a religion of peace. 3. One of the proposed two holidays celebrates the fact that Abraham didn't kill his son. That's no reason for a holiday, unless you think killing is important.
This nonsense is an excellent reason for the Mayor to object.