The state of Washington, which does not officially recognize Easter or Yom Kippur as state holidays, became the first state in the nation to recognize the two Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as unpaid state-recognized holidays when Democrat Governor Bob Ferguson signed the legislation into law this month.
“Senate Bill 5106, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), adds both Eid holidays to a list of 20 other state holidays. Rep. Osman Salahuddin (D-Redmond) sponsored the companion bill,” Ferguson’s website stated. “The new law does not establish Eid holidays as paid holidays, but rather adds them to the state’s list of recognized observances, similar to Lunar New Year or Billy Frank Jr. Day.”
“This bill is historic. Washington is now the first state to recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as state holidays,” Ferguson boasted on Facebook.
According to the Washington state legislature’s website, other unpaid holidays officially recognized by the state include:
The thirteenth day of January, recognized as Korean-American Day;
The twelfth day of October, recognized as Columbus Day;
The ninth day of April, recognized as Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day;
The twenty-sixth day of January, recognized as Washington Army and Air National Guard Day;
The seventh day of August, recognized as Purple Heart Recipient Recognition Day;
The second Sunday in October, recognized as Washington State Children’s Day;
The sixteenth day of April, recognized as Mother Joseph Day;
The fourth day of September, recognized as Marcus Whitman Day;
The seventh day of December, recognized as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day;
The twenty-seventh day of July, recognized as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day;
The nineteenth day of February, recognized as Civil Liberties Day of Remembrance;
The thirtieth day of March, recognized as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day;
The eleventh day of January, recognized as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
The thirty-first day of March, recognized as Cesar Chavez Day;
The tenth day of April, recognized as Dolores Huerta Day;
The fourth Saturday of September, recognized as Public Lands Day;
The eighteenth day of December, recognized as Blood Donor Day;
The fifteenth day of May, recognized as Water Safety Day;
The ninth day of March, recognized as Billy Frank Jr. Day
