New Jersey school district adds a second Muslim holiday

PATERSON, N.J. (AP) -- The Paterson school district, the first in the state to close for a Muslim holiday, added a second day off this year.

Paterson schools previously closed for the feast marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. This year the school district added a day off March 17 for Eid al-Adha, the worldwide festival marking the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca.

No other district in New Jersey closes for any Islamic holiday, said a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Muslims comprise 21,000 of 150,000 Paterson residents and about 3,700 school-age children.