President Obama supports the right of Muslim in America to celebrate religious holidays, the White House said Friday. He just can’t give them the day off, USA TODAY reports.
a petition on the White House’s “We the People” site, claim “There is a large population of Muslim people in the U.S and the two holidays that are celebrated are not recognized in calendars to mark these special days, ” the petitioners wrote. “Students are missing out on school, people taking time off from work, this is all because these holidays are unknown.”
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The petition received more than 100, 000 signatures over 30 days.
The White House declined to declare federal holidays for the Muslim holy days of Eid al-Adha, celebrates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God and Eid al-Fitr. marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The White House noted that Congress has only designated 10 federal holidays each year: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. “Proposals for new permanent federal holidays are typically the province of Congress, ” the White House said.
And it said that federal law requires most employers to make religious accommodations to employees to allow them to celebrate religious observances.
