Christians Under Attack

The demand comes after a nearly three-year battle between the Baltimore Muslim Council and the school system over adding two Islamic holy days, Id al-Fitre and Id al-Adha, to the school calendar.

Next school year's calendar, proposed May 10 and due to be voted on by the school board June 13, does not include the two holy days. But the calendar does list the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, meaning schools are closed those days.

Dr. Bash Pharoan, president of the Muslim council, said it is not fair for the county to recognize one religion while ignoring others. He said if the school board does not vote to allow the two Muslim holidays, then the Jewish holidays should be dropped.

"This issue is about equality, about equity," he said.

The board has the prerogative of changing the calendar to include the Muslim holidays, doing away with Jewish holidays or approving the calendar as submitted.

Pharoan said he would not rule out legal action if the board approves the submitted calendar.

Arthur Abramson, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, said "This is an attempt to wage de facto warfare between Muslims and Jews in Baltimore County."

The school system, Abramson said, adopted the holidays largely because it was too costly to hire substitutes to fill in for observant Jewish teachers.

A school system representative did not return calls, but according to the schools' Web site, substitute teacher pay starts at $59.66 and can go as high as $103.05 a day.

Abramson said the school system will add Muslim holidays when the county has more Muslim teachers and students.

The calendar committee that drew up the 2006-07 calendar recommendations laid the groundwork for just that contingency.

The committee agreed to allow both Muslim students and teachers excused absences on the holy days while monitoring the number of absences to determine if the days off were needed.

Pharoan called that "racial profiling."

E-mail Louis Llovio at Louis Llovio@patuxent.com