California Eid al-Fitr bill could close schools, give paid time off

California could soon formally recognize two of Islam’s most important holy days under legislation that would give state workers greater flexibility to take them off and allow public schools to close in observance of the holidays.

The measure, which overwhelmingly passed the state Assembly and is awaiting Senate action, would recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in state law and could soon head to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Assembly Bill 2017, introduced by Democratic San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, passed the Assembly 64-1 in late May. It must clear the Senate before the legislative session ends Monday to reach Newsom.

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The bill would let state employees use existing paid holiday credits to take time off for Eid. Public schools and community colleges could also close for the holidays.

“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 news release about the bill in March. “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 also said the bill is also about treating Muslim Californians equally.

“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, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Eid al-Adha, or the “Festival of Sacrifice,” commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to God.

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Supporters say the bill would make it easier for Muslim workers and students to take part in Eid prayers and spend the holidays with their families.

“For decades, Muslim families across the state have had to navigate an unfair balancing act between their faith and their academic or professional obligations,” Oussama Mokeddem, legislative and government affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) California chapter, said in a statement in July. “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, recalled missing Eid with her family earlier in her career while working for the city of San Francisco.

“It was really painful to not be with my family,” Hijazi told the Sacramento Bee. She said her family would go to lunch after Eid al-Fitr services and give gifts to the children.

The California Family Council, a conservative Christian advocacy group, opposes the bill’s school provisions, while saying it supports allowing students to take time off for religious holidays.

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The group objects to language allowing schools to hold exercises “acknowledging and celebrating the meaning and importance” of Eid. It also criticized a provision allowing the State Board of Education to develop a model curriculum guide for those exercises.

“No California statute authorizes public schools to hold exercises celebrating the meaning of Christmas, Easter, or Good Friday,” the group said in a May statement, arguing Christian and Jewish holidays have not received comparable treatment. “The asymmetry is written into the law.”

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If signed into law, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha would join other holidays California has recognized, including Lunar New Year and Diwali.

California would not be the first state to recognize the Eid holidays. Washington was the first, according to the Sacramento Bee. Hijazi told the newspaper that California’s proposal would go further by allowing state workers to use paid holiday credits, while Washington allows unpaid time off.