Dems Will Officially Celebrate Islamic Holiday That Includes Ritual Animal Slaughter

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday recognizing Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in state law, making California only the second state to treat the Islamic holy days as state holidays.

Eid al-Adha, or the “Festival of the Sacrifice,” traditionally involves the ritual slaughter of livestock, typically a sheep, goat, cow, or camel, in commemoration of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Eid al-Fitr, the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar.

Assembly Bill 2017, authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) and co-authored by state Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward), allows state and school employees to use existing personal holiday credit or leave time to observe Eid. It also authorizes K-12 schools and community colleges to close for the holidays through locally negotiated agreements.

“California is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Muslim communities in the country,” Haney previously said. “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.”

The bill was co-sponsored by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA). In 2007, federal prosecutors named CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing case. CAIR was never charged and has denied wrongdoing. A federal judge later ruled the government should not have publicly listed the group, but found “ample evidence to establish the associations” of CAIR with the Holy Land Foundation and Hamas.

“We commend Gov. Newsom for signing AB 2017 and sending a powerful message that amid growing hostility, California stands firmly with its Muslim community,” CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said in a statement. “Together, we’ve achieved a historic win for California Muslims.”

As The Daily Wire previously reported, the bill cleared the state Assembly by a 64-1 vote in May. The legislation drew opposition over a provision authorizing the State Board of Education to develop optional curriculum for classroom activities marking the holidays.

Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, argued the measure crossed the line from teaching about religion to promoting it. He told Fox News Digital it amounted to schools “encouraging the celebration of a religious holiday.” The council, which says it represents more than 2,000 churches statewide, also questioned where the state would draw the line on recognizing additional religious holidays.

The two Islamic holidays join Diwali and Lunar New Year among community-specific observances California has formally recognized in recent years.

Washington became the first state to recognize both Eid holidays in 2025.

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