RAJASTHAN, India – Muslims in India are objecting to a recent government decree that will force them to attend school during the ‘Eid Al-Adha religious holiday.

Officials in the north India state of Rajasthan recently asked schools and colleges not to honor the Muslim religious days and instead prepare for blood donation camps scheduled for Sept. 25 to celebrate the “birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, an icon of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Hindu group,” OnIslam.net reports.

“This is an unconstitutional and very fascist order,” said Salim Engineer, spokesman with the Forum for Democracy and Communal Harmony.

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The decision to remove the Eid Al-Adha holiday comes after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio this spring opted to add that day, as well as the holy day Eid al-Fitr, to a growing list of days off for students in the Big Apple.

De Blasio framed the issue as a “matter of fairness” because the school district already acknowledges numerous Jewish and Christian holidays, according to The New York Times.

“When these holidays are recognized, it’s a sign that Muslims have a role in the political and social fabric of America,” Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper told the news site.

“At least six school districts national, including Cambridge, Mass.; Dearborn, Mich.; Burlington, Vt.; and Paterson and South Brunswick, N.J., have granted days off for the major Muslim holidays,” the Times reported in March.

“Many more districts recognize the holidays in other ways, such as noting them on the school calendar or granting excused absences for observant students.”

In India, the announcement to cancel Eid Al-Adha sparked backlash from Muslim groups, and government officials responded by allowing Muslim teachers to take a leave day to celebrate.

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But deciding not to recognize Eid Al-Adha is only one of several ways the government is working to curb Muslim worship. Days prior to the decision to ignore Eid Al-Adha, officials implemented a beef ban across the country during the holy day, which is commonly known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” On Islam reports.

According to the site:

`Eid Al-Adha … is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations, together with `Eid Al-Fitr.

After special prayers to mark the day, Muslims offer unhiyah, a ritual that reminds of the great act of sacrifice Prophet Ibrahim and his son Isma`eel (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them) were willing to make for the sake of God.

Festivities and merriment then start with visits to the homes of friends and relatives.

Traditionally, everyone wears new clothes for `Eid, and the children look forward to gifts and the traditional `ediya (cash).

`Eid Al-Adha marks the end of annual hajj.

One of the five pillars of Islam, hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim — who can financially afford the trip — must perform hajj once in their lifetime.

Indian Muslims have vowed to take the government to court over the canceled Eid Al-Adha, and allege the move is designed to tilt the school environment in favor of Hindus.

Regardless, as Muslims in New York City take the day off school Sept. 23 in observance of Eid Al-Adha, their peers in the much more Muslim-heavy India will be in the classroom.