Philadelphia Schools to Recognize Two Muslim Holidays

eid al-fitr

Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, which is now recognized as a holiday on the Philadelphia school calendar.

Proving yet again that it is a city of inclusion and acceptance, Philadelphia recently announced that its schools will be among the first in the nation to recognize two significant Muslim holidays on the administrative calendar. Not content to stop there, Mayor Jim Kenney says that he has appointed a task force to determine the logistics of also adopting the days off for city workers.

eid al-fitr

Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, which is now recognized as a holiday on the Philadelphia school calendar.

Yesterday, Kenney held a press conference alongside Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. He commented that Philadelphia’s history “is based on being a place where religious freedom is part of its founding ethos.” Furthermore, he went on to say that: “Our city was built on the idea that while we may be different in nationality and ethnicity, the city welcomes all to worship and practice the faiths of our culture or our choosing.”

The Inquirer quoted a spokesperson from the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington as saying that he was “not aware of” any city that has incorporated Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha on their municipal calendars. The former holiday is celebrated after the holy month of Ramadan, and the latter “signifies Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God, at the conclusion of the annual hajj pilgrimage.” Because the Muslim holy calendar is lunar-based, the holidays fall on different dates every year. In the 2016-2017 school year, the calendar for which has already been finalized (meaning that the holidays won’t be celebrated next year), the dates fall in mid-September and late June.

A handful of smaller school districts have already taken the step of adding the Muslim holidays to their calendars. New York City became the first major metropolis to do so, an act that was seen as especially meaningful considering the tide of anti-Muslim sentiment following 9/11. Philadelphia’s move, coming in the wake of Islamophobic comments by presidential candidate Donald Trump, is equally political.

The decision is a victory for Muslim students, who previously had to decide between observing their religious holiday and maintaining their attendance record.