PARLIAMENT may have to consider introducing Muslim and Hindu bank holidays.
Online petitions are trying to appeal to Parliament to implement Muslim and Hindu bank holidays[GETTY]An online petition requesting a day off for Hindu festival Diwali and Muslim celebration Eid has attracted more than 119,000 signatures and has three months more to run.
Under the rules of the e-petition scheme, introduced in 2011, once the 100,000 signature mark is passed it should be considered for a House of Commons debate.
The debate will stir controversy because these could become the first non-Christian religious holidays in Britain and could lead to calls from other faiths for similar treatment.
It could also anger nationalists who have complained St George’s Day and St David’s Day are not holidays.
However an e-petition calling for these days to be marked has so far attracted only 34 signatures.
They just don’t seem to want to grasp English nationalism, they are afraid of it for some reason
Details of the Eid/Diwali e-petition have been passed to the Backbench Business Committee, which will consider its suitability for debate.
It was drawn up by Jon Timmis who said: “I believe that, given the number of Muslims and Hindus in this country it is only fair we allow them to have the most important days in their faiths recognised in law.”
The e-petition has sparked widespread debate on internet forums, especially those aimed at British Muslims and Hindus. While religious and community leaders have distanced themselves from the idea, popular opinion is evenly split.
Vinod Popat, chairman of The British Hindu Voice, said: “I don’t think it is a very good idea. How many festivals are there for other religions. Should they all be marked with a public holiday? The country would grind to a halt.”
He also pointed out a major problem: “Diwali is worked out on a lunar calendar so every year it would be on a different day. It would be impractical to set a date for it.” This year Diwali is on October 23 but next year on November 11. Eid, too, is a moveable feast, July 29 this year but July 18 in 2015.
Some critics say we already have enough holiday chaos with Easter, which can take place any time over a four-week period as its timing depends on the full moon and spring equinox.
The scheme has found many backers in online conversations. For example, Nazreen Naz Ahsan said: “Yes it’s a great idea. If others get Christmas off then we should have Eid and Diwali off then everyone is equal.”
Molly-Rose Brace added: “If we made Eid and Diwali public holidays it gives people of other cultures a great chance to learn about other religions and will hopefully get people to see the UK as a multicultural country, not just ‘Christian’. I’d love to learn about these festivals.”
However, Suleman Nagdi, of the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester, said: “Any move to recognise other faiths is a good thing but I do not think there should be a public holiday.”
Rapinder Newton warned: “Such measures will only go to increase resentment.”
Certainly Graham Smith, who launched the St George Unofficial Bank Holiday campaign, has accused recent Labour and Conservative governments of anti-English bias.
“They just don’t seem to want to grasp English nationalism, they are afraid of it for some reason,” he said.
Those who say we already have enough holidays might like to consider that British workers enjoy the lowest number of public holidays in Europe. Our eight days is also the second lowest in the world behind Mexico.
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