Parents outraged as east London school gives three days notice for Muslim holiday closure

From the London Evening Standard

Parents at an east London school were given just three days notice that it would be closed today so staff could mark the Muslim festival Eid-al-Adha.Chobham Academy in Newham said the closure of its primary school was due to “a high number of staff requesting leave for religious observance”.

Children were sent home with a letter last week warning their parents. One mother criticised the short notice, claiming it made finding childcare difficult…“I got a text out of the blue at about 11am on Friday saying the school would be closed on Monday but it didn’t explain why. Then they sent the kids home with a letter from the head saying it was because a lot of teachers had suddenly asked for the day off.”

Eid-al-Adha is the holiest day in the Muslim calendar…It was predicted to occur yesterday on September 11, causing controversy as that was also the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. But religious leaders in Saudi Arabia announced last Friday that it would actually take place today.