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Parents of students at a new middle school (NMS) were more than irritated when they received the message that their children had to forgo the doughnuts that they were supposed to receive as a reward for participating in the carnival parade.
Middle school donates doughnuts to kindergarten and old people’s home
Specifically, this concerns the NMS Haid (Linz-Land district): The school informed parents that the doughnuts would be donated to a kindergarten and an old people’s home. However, the school is also referring to Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month that began yesterday Saturday.
As the Kronen Zeitung reports, the school’s procedure is anything but usual, however, the mayor of the town of Haid near Ansfelden said: “This is the first time I’ve heard that the doughnuts will be passed on.” In fact, the municipality that provided the doughnuts – more than 1,000 of them – had even asked how many students the pastries should be bought for.
Teachers look after Muslim students during the carnival parade
As in so many other schools in the country, a large proportion of the students at NMS Haid are of foreign origin and Muslim faith. Many parents therefore fear that the school’s announcement was made out of consideration for the many Muslim students. The response from the headmistress Anita Jovic: Only sweets that are left over would be given away.
Jovic also received numerous messages from the parents of Muslim students who did not want their children to take part in the carnival parade. This is also tolerated, and special teachers are even assigned to look after the Muslims during the parade.
Dealing with customs and traditions is always a controversial topic, especially in schools with many migrant students. The FPÖ has taken a clear stance on the issue and repeatedly speaks out in favor of maintaining local traditions – and ultimately also in favor of the carnival doughnut.
