Eid moves one step closer to becoming a Washington state holiday

Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two holidays celebrated by nearly 100,000 Muslims in Washington state, is one step closer to state recognition.

On Monday, the state House of Representatives passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma) that adds Eid to a list of holidays that are unpaid but have cultural or historical significance.

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Rep. Osman Salahuddin (D-Redmond) is the first Muslim serving in the state House.

He introduced a companion bill in the House after thinking back to his childhood years, learning about other winter festivals like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

“And when Eid came around it was sort of an afterthought of communal celebration,” he recalled.

Salahuddin said state recognition is about more than just acknowledging a community’s culture and significance.

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“It helps us cherish our constitutional freedoms as Americans for religious practice, freedom of religion, and to be able to practice our faith, however we choose,” he said.

The bill’s passage comes at a time when Muslims continue to experience prejudice, according to a 2024 survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Washington.

The bill now heads to Gov. Bob Ferguson's desk for his signature.

Correction notice, Thursday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m.: A previous version of the article cited the wrong bill that passed the House on Monday, March 31. Rep. Salahuddin introduced a companion bill in the House, but it was Sen. Trudeau's bill, SB5106, that moved forward and was ultimately approved in both chambers.