By Laala Al Jaber

Despite numerous Northwestern University in Qatar students raising religious objections to the university’s Eid schedule, classes next Monday will run as scheduled, said a senior NU-Q official.

After days of speculation on whether next Monday, a day of religious significance to Muslims around the world, will be included in NU-Q’s Eid break, Richard Roth, NU-Q’s senior associate dean, confirmed that the controversial schedule will remain unchanged.

Although classes will officially be held on Monday, NU-Q professors can choose to cancel them, said Roth. Several NU-Q professors have already informed their students that their Monday classes have been cancelled.

Eid Al-Adha, a national Muslim holiday, is preceded by Yom Arafat, the last day of Haj , the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. On this holy day, set to occur next Monday, millions of Muslims fast, pray and reflect on Islam and its teachings. We get really busy in our lives that we forget what’s important. But on this day [Yom Arafat], we remember what is important,