Newsom Signs Bill That Recognizes 2 Muslim State Holidays

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two Muslim holidays into law this week, making California the second state to officially recognize them.

On Sunday, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2017 into law, which will make Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha state holidays. That means public schools will be closed on those days and state employees will have the days off.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson also signed those holidays into law in 2025.

Eid al-Fitr is also called the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” which coincides with the end of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar.

Eid al-Adha is called the “Festival of the Sacrifice,” typically lasts between three and four days and marks the culmination of the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The bill was initially proposed by Assemblyman Matt Haney, a Democrat, and passed the California Assembly and Senate by near unanimous margins.

“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 press release according to Fox News. “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 CEO of the California branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, which co-sponsored the bill, commended Newsom on his signing of the legislation.

“For far too long, Muslim students and employees in California have had to make the difficult choice between participating in observances essential to their faith or falling behind on their academic or professional obligations,” CAIR CEO Hussam Ayloush said in a statement. “AB 2017 removes these structural barriers and aligns state policy with the values of inclusion, equity, and respect for cultural diversity that define our state.”

According to recent census data there are between 500,000 and a million Muslims in California.

Some critics of the law say that Newsom prioritized a law for Muslim holidays before comparable Jewish ones.

“The fact that Newsom chose to sign the Eid law before the law that protected other religious observance speaks volumes about the direction he is moving as he eyes a 2028 run for the presidency,” said Elizabeth Barcohana, chair of Jewish engagement for the California Republican Party in an interview with Cleveland Jewish News.

Other critics have said that the law allows public schools to celebrate the importance of the Muslim holidays, but not those of other religions.

“No California statute authorizes public schools to hold exercises celebrating the meaning of Christmas, Easter, or Good Friday,” The California Family Council, a conservative Christian advocacy group said in a statement in May according to Fox News. “The asymmetry is written into the law.”

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