Twice a year, Muslims gather with their local congregation, friends, and family to celebrate Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha. Despite these joyous occasions, many Muslims end up attending school and work. Some are forced to pick between attending work and school or observing our beloved holiday. If one does take for Eid, the holiday is counted as an “excused absence” or one will have to take days off from his/her allotted vacation/ sick days. What’s more is that many do not know when Eid is and how important it is to Muslims. They do not know why we celebrate it or what it is that we do on that day. 

Every single culture and religion has celebrations and holidays, and Muslims are no different. However, this is where the similarities end. While we support and respect Jewish, Christian, and Hindu holidays, we do not see this same respect reciprocated. We need to change this not because if one religion gets public holidays, all should, but because we need to respect and appreciate every single religion in the way that each religion and its followers asks for. We need to open up conversations about people from all the different backgrounds that exist. We need to change in the name of inclusiveness and in the name of diversity. We are not, and never have been, a state that ignores the beautiful diversity that surrounds us. Instead, we celebrate it. 

Thus, I ask the Illinois State Government, beginning April 2024, to make Eid-ul- Fitr and Eid- ul- Adha a public holiday. As Eid is the day after the crescent moon is sighted, I ask that the designated day be when it is estimated the new moon will be out. Through this, we can add to, and work toward, the culture of awareness and tolerance that every community needs.