Some Moscow schools reportedly plan to delay start-of-term festivals to avoid clashing with Muslim worshippers

A school in Moscow’s Meshchansky District is reportedly planning to postpone its September 1 start-of-term parade, because the school is located near the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, the city’s largest house of worship for Muslims. This year, the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha falls on September 1, and tens of thousands of worshippers will fill the streets outside the mosque.

Officials have issued conflicting statements to reporters, leaving it unclear if a final decision has been made to delay its back-to-school festivities. Principal Olesya Lukashuk told the news agency Interfax that the school’s advisory board will reach a decision soon, though the Moscow City Duma’s Education Commission head told the radio station Ekho Moskvy that the decision has already been made, and it’s because of the school’s proximity to to mosque. Another school official later told the news agency RBC that no postponement decision has been made yet.

On August 21, a member of a Facebook community dedicated to local events in Moscow’s Meshchansky District reported that as many as three schools in the area will postpone their start-of-term celebrations, to avoid clashing with Eid al-Adha crowds.

On Eid al-Adha in 2016, Moscow police say roughly 100,000 worshippers filled the Moscow Cathedral Mosque and the streets outside it. A year earlier, as many as 140,000 Muslims came to pray and celebrate the holiday. During these mass gatherings, police block off roads and shut down public transportation and subway stations in the area.