Tempers flared at a school board meeting in New Jersey when a room crowded with Muslim parents learned that schools will remain open during Thursday's religious holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Several of the Muslim parents and children screamed in rage and openly wept when the board announced its decision.
At one point, a young woman in a purple head scarf took the microphone and told them: 'We're no longer the minority, that's clear from tonight. We’re going to be the majority soon.
A Jewish parent who attended the meeting said some people in his community felt they were being discriminated against because the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were not on Jersey City's official school closure list.
Meanwhile just across the Hudson River in New York City, schools will be closed for Eid Al-Adha for the first time as a result of a change put in place by Mayor Bill de Blasio in March.
The Jersey City Board of Education had originally proposed to close local schools on September 24 to allow Muslim children to observe the holiday.
The City Council unanimously voted in favor of the closure two weeks ago.
However, during the contentious four-hour meeting held last Thursday, the board voted to keep Jersey City schools open so as not to cause disruptions for non-Muslim families, reported NBC New York. [Daily Mail] Read more
