French Politician Creates Controversy Proposing Jews and Muslims Have Their Holy Days Off

In France, the Green Party candidate for President, Eva Joly, has created a controversy by proposing that Jews and Muslims should be given the right to take off work or school on their major holidays.  According to a report in Haaretz today, Joly reasoned that since France's official holidays are based on Christian celebrations such as Easter, other religions should obtain "equal treatment in the public realm."  However politicians on both the right and left strongly criticized her proposal. Laurent Wauquiez, minister of higher education, said: "Our history and roots are Christian." He added:  "Toleration in France cannot be built on the negation of our past." Interestingly, Jewish groups are not eager to support the proposal either.  Richard Prasquier, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, said: "Our country has a Catholic calendar: So what?"  A Muslim representative, the head of Paris' Great Mosque, said he liked the proposal, but it would not be easy to enact or implement it.