Christmas is arguably the most widely celebrated religious holiday in the U.S., but Governor Bob Ferguson may have just shifted the landscape with Senate Bill 5106. The new law officially adds Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to Washington’s list of recognized state holidays. The signing took place on the evening of April 8, 2025, during a joyful community celebration at the Islamic Center of Tacoma, where families, local leaders, and supporters gathered to witness the historic moment.
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are two of the biggest holidays for Muslims. Before this bill, a lot of Muslim families in Washington had to choose between taking time off to celebrate or sticking with school or work. The new law doesn’t give extra paid days off, but it does officially add both Eid holidays to the state’s list of recognized occasions, just like Lunar New Year, Juneteenth, and Water Safety Day.
Representative Salahuddin spoke about the deeper meaning behind the recognition, explaining that it’s not just about adding a date to the calendar. “It’s about fostering respect, visibility, and inclusion for a community that has too often been overlooked,” he said.
The main reason behind recognizing these Muslim holidays in Washington is to address the discrimination that many Muslim Americans continue to face. Studies show that over half of Muslim children in the U.S. experience bullying, and even adults often encounter bias, especially during times of global political tension. Representative Salahuddin emphasized that this recognition isn’t about giving special treatment. Instead, it’s a step toward promoting fairness and equality for all communities.
Given the long-standing principle of separating religion and government in the U.S., the new law has drawn some criticism. Some view the recognition of Eid as unnecessary, especially since Washington already allows employees to take up to two unpaid days off each year for religious or personal observances.
One user commented, “I do not think the state should be recognizing ANY religious holidays (yes, including Christmas) as official state holidays, whether paid or not. The state should be agnostic to religions as long as they are all treated equally and fairly. This then becomes a whataboutism – why not any Jewish holidays, why not Buddhist, why not Mormon (assuming they have any), etc.”
Others said they’d prefer the state stay out of religion altogether. “Personally, I’d rather remove all religious holidays from the calendar and give folks floating holidays to engage in whatever religious nonsense pleases them (and their gods, of course),” one user commented.
