Muslims in California will have Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha formally recognised under state law after Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation adding the two major Islamic festivals to California’s list of state holidays.
Eid ul Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, while Eid ul Adha is observed during Zil Hajj, the final month of the Islamic calendar. Both are widely observed by Muslims around the world.
The new law provides employees in the US state with ways to use existing paid leave to observe Eid and allows public schools and community colleges to close for the festivals under locally agreed arrangements.
It does not, however, give every worker in California two additional paid days off. Eligible state employees can use eight hours of vacation, annual leave, compensating time off or personal holiday credit for Eid ul Fitr or Eid ul Adha, subject to the conditions set out in the law.
The law also excludes Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha from California’s list of judicial holidays.
Assembly member Matt Haney, who authored the legislation, said California is home to one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States and that their religious traditions deserved recognition.
The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA), which supported the bill, welcomed the legislation, saying it would make it easier for Muslim students and employees to observe Eid while meeting their school or workplace commitments.
The CAIR-CA said California has more than one million Muslim residents and described the legislation as an important step towards recognising the community’s religious observances.
According to the California Legislative Information website, Newsom approved AB 2017 on September 27 and it was filed with the Secretary of State the same day.
