Indian Muslims outraged at BJP govt’s order cancelling Eidul Azha holiday

Indian Muslims outraged at BJP govt’s order cancelling Eidul Azha holiday

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A fresh government order in Rajasthan asking schools and colleges not to declare public holiday on September 25 – a day coinciding with the holy Muslim festival Eid-ul-Adha (commonly known as Bakra Eid) has stirred a controversy.

 

Rajasthan has ordered faculties and schools to prepare for blood donation camps on September 25, to mark the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, an icon of the BJP and its own ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The day coincides with the Muslim festival of Bakra Eid, which can be a holiday, but will not be this time, reported the NDTV.

The order of the Vasundhara Raje government instructs schools to not declare a holiday.

The order has upset Muslim groups, who say they will head to court from the move to cancel the holiday.

This can be an unconstitutional and a very fascist order,” said Professor Salim Engineer of the Forum for Democracy and Communal Harmony. He alleged that the move of the government proved to be a clear effort at ‘saffronisation’ -Hindu moves.

By saying Muslim teachers will be allowed to take leave on that day whenever they want the government has responded to the backlash. But Muslim groups point out that the government has not put on paper this.