Private Religion In Public Schools

Advocates for "religious fairness" are pushing to add two Muslim holidays to the school calendar. The holidays being recommended for observance are Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha. Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan) is the chief sponsor of this religious resolution. Reportedly, NYC officials are not in favor of the change. City Hall meeting officials said that the matter must first be addressed by New York State officials before they can act. An estimated 10-12% of New York City’s student population is now Muslim, so Jackson’s proposal is reasonable. However, in light of generally low academic scores in our public schools, do we need more holidays? Additionally, this matter brings up several unreasonable issues regarding religious holidays for consideration. To be fair and to respect ALL religions, perhaps NO religious holidays should be permitted in the public school system. Maybe days that honor great Americans or historic events in our shared American history should replace them. If religious observance is not permitted in classrooms, public schools should not be closed for religious observance. Strange as it may seem, an across-the-board ban on ALL holidays shows the greatest respect for everyone's religion.

City Cop Chutzpah For Kosher Cadets

Diversity on New York City’s police force is a wonderful thing. It reflects, as it should, the multiplicity of the population. The NYPD proudly boasts 10 Orthodox Jews in its cadet class; 9 men and 1 woman. They are among a group of 1,218 classmates who hope to graduate in December. The very best of luck to them all! However, the Police Department has already excused this group of ten from working dusk to dusk, Friday to Saturday. This action was obviously taken out of respect for their faith. Does the city have the right to make religious allowances for them regarding their work schedule for non-holiday observance? Non-Jewish cops probably don’t get their work schedules adjusted to accommodate their faith, do they? On a different yet pertinent matter, an ultra-religious city female bus driver was recently fired for refusing to wear department-issued pants. She was disobeying their mandatory uniform requirements. Slacks for women are forbidden according to the dress code of her religion. Prejudice is a crime. So are double standards. To be perfectly clear here, this blog is not a knock against Jewish people or any other people of faith. It is however a knock against city policy makers for enforcing somewhat inconsistent religious rules. All city workers regardless of their faith should be treated the same. Likewise, all those of deep religious convictions who apply for city jobs should recognize that there are certain employment requirements that should be treated as gospel and obeyed as such.

No Seat-Of-The-Pants Driver

NYC Transit fired a driver who refused to wear pants or culottes at work. Tahita Jenkins, 35, claims she couldn’t wear them for religious reasons (Weren't job applicants told of a "dress code" prior to employment?). The MTA thinks it’s a matter of safety for drivers; male or female. Ms. Jenkins pastor from the Holy Ghost Headquarters Prayer Band Mission of New Beginning Deliverance Church wrote a note on her behalf. It confirmed her deep religious conviction and long-standing aversion to pants. Now, Ms. Jenkins is suing New York City for reinstatement. The case will be reviewed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Religious discrimination should never be tolerated in any form or forum. However, freedom of religion shouldn’t mean that employers must accommodate the religious principles of everybody’s religion. What would an employer do for example if two employees had religious principles which opposed one another? How can the employer defer to one without offending the other? Can't be done. There are times when an individual must decide if their religious beliefs prohibit them from working where a job's requirements are contrary to those beliefs. If that’s the case, and the regulations aren’t intentionally discriminatory, it might be best to pray for divine guidance ... to find a more suitable position elsewhere.