The Social Austria of the Future (SÖZ) party is now calling for Ramadan to be officially declared a public holiday in Austria. The three-day Ramadan festival, often also known as Eid, traditionally concludes the fasting period of Ramadan.
Hakan Gördü, Chairman of SÖZ, justifies the demand with the cultural diversity in the capital: ‘Vienna is colourful and diverse – it’s high time that this was reflected in the calendar! At the end of Ramadan, Muslims around the world celebrate the Ramadan festival.’ According to Gördü, more than 200,000 Muslims live in Vienna and make a significant contribution to shaping the city.
In view of the upcoming Vienna elections on April 27, in which SÖZ is running, Gördü emphasises: ‘We are therefore calling for this important holiday to finally be officially recognised. Muslim holidays are just as much a part of Vienna as Christmas or Easter – because true diversity means respecting everyone equally. Let’s set an example for equality and recognition together! It’s time we introduced a Muslim public holiday in Austria for the country’s second largest religious community.’
However, his proposal has not gone down well with the readers of ‘Heute.at’. According to a non-representative survey conducted there, 91 per cent of participants are against the idea of an official holiday for Ramadan in Austria.
https://exxpress.at/politik/forderung-in-wien-ramadanfest-soll-feiertag-werden