Muslim holidays to become official days-off

The State Service of Ukraine for the Crimea and Sevastopol appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with a proposal to make the Muslim religious holidays Uraza-Bairam (Eid al-Fitr) and Kurban-Bairam (Eid al-Adha) official celebrations, reports Radio Liberty.

"In order to express solidarity and spiritual support of the Crimean Tatar people and other citizens of Ukraine, who are Muslims, the State Service appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with the initiative to declare religious holidays Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha official celebrations in Ukraine and grant them the status of days-off," said the deputy head of the Service Zarema Ozenbash in the Verkhovna Rada on June 15.

The proposed initiative was supported by the Mufti of Ukraine, Ahmed Tamim, "Why are Muslims and representatives of other nationalities looked at separately? We would like to see a renewed Ukraine so that each citizen will feel a full citizen of Ukraine, but not a citizen of a particular region?" said Mufti.

Recall that the religious Muslim Ramadan Bairam celebrations (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) are the central celebrations of the Muslim religious calendar. Eid as-Fitr is a festival of breaking of the feast, celebrated by Muslims worldwide, that marks the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha is a Feast of Sacrifice, the latter of the two Muslim holidays. Religious Muslim festivals are celebrated in strict accordance with the lunar calendar - the Hijrah, so the dates vary from year to year drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year. 

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