School’s plan to give day off for Muslim holiday ruffles feathers

Amsterdam school boards are open to the idea of adding a day off for Muslim holiday Eid, and taking a compulsory Christian holiday off the schedule. This statement is ruffling a number of political feathers, mostly in the anti-Islam party PVV, Het Parool reports. This follows group 8b of primary school Oostelijke Eilanden sending a letter to the Amsterdam municipality with a proposal to have Eid be an off day too. Children can already take a day off school for a religious holiday, given that a request is submitted two days in advance. The PVV submitted parliamentary questions on the matter. "Are you prepared to fight the introduction of Islamic events, and the replacement of Western/Christian holidays with Islamic one with tooth and nail? If not, why are you giving the Netherlands away?" one of the questions reads. On Twitter PVV parliamentarian Harm Beertema posted: "Core task of education: giving our identity through to future generations in stead of facilitating hate ideology."