CHARITY OR STUPIDITY?: NORWAY CHRISTIAN STUDENT UNION PROPOSES GIVING “EXTRA” CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS TO MUSLIMS
Following complaints from Norwegian priests who have argued that there are too many Christian holidays, the Christian Student Union has proposed “donating” holidays deemed superfluous to Muslims. While representatives of the Muslim community have found this idea “touching,” the Christian People’s Party is against a change in Norwegian calendar.In an unorthodox proposal, the Norwegian Christian Student Union has suggested giving away “secondary” holidays, such Saint Stephen’s day (in Scandinavia known as the second day of Christmas), Easter Monday and the second day of Pentecost, currently public holidays, the Klassekampen daily reported.According to Norwegian Christian Student Union leader Ingvild Yrke, Muslims, the environmental movement and the feminist movement are the likely beneficiaries, with the end of the Islamic month of fasting Ramadan possibly being elevated to a national holiday.“International Women’s Day March 8, World Environment Day and Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha are good alternative public holidays,” Yrke explained to Klassekampen.The debate was started by priests Einar Gelius and Per Anders Nordengen, who argued earlier this year that there were “too many” Christian holidays. Yrke concurred that “secondary” holidays are a remnant from the era when people needed an extra day off to attend church. Also, it would be a charitable action to give Muslims a day off of their own, she argued.“We Christians are called to fight for the cause of the weak. We who are the majority must give them this day,” Yrke said….
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SEE ALSO:
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201805171064536062-norway-christianity-islam/;
EXCERPT:
Leader of the right-wing Progress Party Oslo department Mazyar Keshvari was shocked by the proposal.