German City Becomes First to Officially Recognize Islamic Holidays

The city of Hamburg, Germany, has become the first in the country to officially recognize Islamic holidays by allowing Muslim employees and students to take time off to celebrate, CBN News reports. The announcement made last week by Hamburg's mayor, Olaf Scholz, followed an agreement between city officials and local Muslim groups. The city said it had similar agreements with Christian and Jewish groups, and Scholz said he hoped the deal would encourage other German cities to follow suit. Hamburg's population of almost 2 million people has a growing number of Muslims, estimating 150,000.