California lawmakers are considering legislation that would formally recognize two major Islamic holidays in state law, permit public schools and community colleges to close for observance and allow state employees to use existing paid holiday credits to take time off.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
California could formally recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha under legislation nearing its final vote in the state Legislature, setting up a possible decision by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom before the session concludes.
Assembly Bill 2017, introduced by Democratic San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, would add the two major Islamic observances to state law while giving public employees, schools and community colleges additional flexibility around the holidays.
The Assembly approved the measure 64-1 in late May. The bill must still pass the Senate before the legislative session ends Monday if it is to reach Newsom’s desk.
Under the proposal, California state employees could use existing paid holiday credits to take Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha off from work. Public schools and community colleges would also be authorized to close in observance of either holiday.
Haney has framed the legislation as an effort to provide Muslim students and workers with accommodations similar to those available to other religious communities.
“California is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Muslim communities in the country, and their traditions deserve recognition and respect,” Haney said in a March news release. “No student should have to choose between celebrating one of the holiest days of their faith and showing up to school, and no worker should feel they have to sacrifice their religious observance.”
Haney said the proposal also concerns equal treatment for Muslims living in California.
“AB 2017 is about making sure Muslim Californians are seen, valued, and treated with the same dignity as every other community in our state,” he said.
Eid al-Fitr, commonly translated as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the conclusion of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset.
Eid al-Adha, or the “Festival of Sacrifice,” commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s, or Abraham’s, willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God.
Supporters contend that formally recognizing both observances would make it easier for Muslim families to attend Eid prayers, gather with relatives and participate in religious traditions without having to choose between observance and school or work responsibilities.
Oussama Mokeddem, legislative and government affairs director for the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Muslim families have long faced conflicts between religious practice and professional or academic requirements.
“For decades, Muslim families across the state have had to navigate an unfair balancing act between their faith and their academic or professional obligations,” Mokeddem said in a July statement. “AB 2017 is a meaningful step toward ensuring Muslim students can celebrate Eid with the same dignity, respect, and accommodation afforded to other faith communities.”
Hala Hijazi, founder of the Muslim Impact Council, described facing such a conflict earlier in her career when she worked for the city of San Francisco.
“It was really painful to not be with my family,” Hijazi told the Sacramento Bee.
Hijazi said her family traditionally went to lunch following Eid al-Fitr services and gave presents to children, underscoring the family and community aspects of the holiday.
The legislation has also drawn opposition over provisions affecting public schools.
The California Family Council, a conservative Christian advocacy organization, said it supports allowing individual students to take time away from school to observe religious holidays but objects to language in AB 2017 permitting schools to conduct exercises “acknowledging and celebrating the meaning and importance” of Eid.
The organization also opposes a provision allowing the State Board of Education to develop a model curriculum guide for such activities.
Critics argue those provisions give Islamic observances a form of explicit statutory recognition that is not similarly provided to some major Christian and Jewish holidays.
“No California statute authorizes public schools to hold exercises celebrating the meaning of Christmas, Easter, or Good Friday,” the California Family Council said in a May statement. “The asymmetry is written into the law.”
If enacted, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha would join a growing list of cultural and religious holidays formally recognized by California, including Lunar New Year and Diwali.
California would not be the first state to recognize the two Eid holidays.
Washington became the first state to do so, according to the Sacramento Bee. Hijazi told the newspaper that California’s proposal would extend further than Washington’s policy because AB 2017 would permit state employees to use paid holiday credits, while Washington provides for unpaid time off.
The remaining decision now rests with the California Senate. If senators approve the bill before Monday’s deadline, Newsom will determine whether California becomes the latest state to formally recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha and whether the broader school and state-worker provisions become law.
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