N.J. City’s Schools Add Muslim Holiday
The Paterson school district, the first in New Jersey to close for a Muslim holiday, added a second day off this year.
Paterson schools previously closed for the feast marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. This year, the school district added a day off March 17 for Eid al-Adha, the worldwide festival marking the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca.
No other district in the state closes for any Islamic holiday, said a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Assn.
Paterson’s 150,000 residents include 21,000 Muslims, about 3,700 of whom are school-age children.
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