Sources: Reuters India and Nepal public holidays. Two leading Muslim groups in Nepal, Awam Sahara Nepal and the Intellectual Muslim Association of Nepal, have said they would organise street protests if the government does not meet its demand to set aside seats for its community in the upcoming November elections. The groups are asking to have more than 10% of the seats of the upcoming assembly set aside for Muslims, although Muslims only represent 4% of the population of Nepal.Analysis: It is unlikely that the government which includes traditionally atheistic Maoists will accept the slide into theocracy that an acceptance of these demands would entail. However, one likely solution would be to add 2 or 3 Muslim public holidays, for Muslim civil servants, to the calendar of public holidays in Nepal. This would not jar any of the other religious groups who often already have religious public holidays reserved for their civil servants.
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