Keith Ellison may become Congress’s first Muslim

[Bosco 1]

Yes it is. Still will the person win the seat, primary win isn't the same as being elected. How much luck have Muslims had in getting schools closed on Muslim holidays in Maryland.

He may not win the seat but he beat out an incumbent for the nomination, which is an accomplishment.

The reasoning for not closing the schools is absolutely legitimate. They make these decisions based on expectations of how many students would not otherwise attend. The Muslim population here is neither that large nor that concentrated to warrant closing the schools. I believe it is an unrealistic request by the Baltimore County Muslim Council.

Well I grew up in Baltimore County and I can tell you school was not closed on any Jewish holiday when I went to school and I'm sure just as many Jews live here now as then.

And now they do close for a Jewish holiday due to the high rate of absenteeism by staff and students. If this ever becomes the case on the Muslim holidays, I am confident the calendar issue will be revisited. However, it is not the case now so the closure would be unwarranted.

The other issue is one of the days they requesed, Eid al-fitr, depends on moon sighting and there is always controversy within the Muslim community. The school calendar is planned well in advance. This is not the case for Eid al-adha, the other holiday they requested a school closing for.