California bill to make Muslim holidays official state days raises hard questions about school neutrality
California's State Assembly voted 64-1 to pass AB 2017, a bill that would establish two Muslim holy days, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, as official state holidays and authorize public schools to close for both.The bill advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, carrying a provision that has drawn sharp criticism from religious liberty advocates: it would direct the State Board of Education to develop a model curriculum for classroom exercises "acknowledging and celebrating" the holidays.
The measure, authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat, sailed through the Assembly with virtually no opposition. But the bill's language goes beyond calendar recognition. It opens the door for state-guided classroom activities tied to specific religious observances, a step that critics say collides with California's own longstanding neutrality rules.
AB 2017 would add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to California's official state holiday calendar, designating a single day of observance for each. Both holidays traditionally span three to four days, and both shift annually on the Islamic lunar calendar. The bill authorizes, but does not require, local public school boards and community colleges to shut down campuses for both days.
If neutrality means anything, it means the state does not pick winners among faiths. California chose that principle when it scrubbed Christmas and Easter from school calendars. The state cannot now build celebration curriculum for Eid and call it equity. It is preference, dressed in the language of inclusion.
Neutrality is only a principle if it applies to everyone. The moment it becomes selective, it is just politics.
Read the article
