The CLARITy Coalition opposes state-wide designation of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as holidays in California (Bill AB 2017). The principle at stake is straightforward: people of faith deserve equal protection under the law, not the elevation of one faith community above others. This legislation fails that test.
California law already guarantees excused absences for religious observance. No student or teacher is compelled to choose between faith and school. The existing framework respects religious diversity without conferring institutional preference on any single tradition. A state-wide Eid holiday does not expand religious freedom—it distorts it.
This measure, as confirmed by committee testimony, is as much about symbolism and official recognition as it is accommodation of Islamic practices. But government is prohibited from engaging in religious indoctrination or teaching the tenets of a religion. Notably, the revealed intent is to single out Islam for preferred educational instruction, as well as special holiday designations.
If demographic weight is the argument, it fails on its own terms. California’s Jewish population is more than double its Muslim population according to 2024–2026 estimates. The implication of the proponents’ logic would mandate Jewish holidays first. That conclusion is not being proposed—which reveals that demography is not the real driver here.
Calendar designations involving costs, educational priorities, and community participation are properly made at the district level, where those variables can be evaluated in context. State-level imposition bypasses that process entirely.
We are a coalition of Muslims and non-Muslims united in defense of religious pluralism and equal civic standing for all Americans. Religious pluralism is not served by singling out one faith for state recognition. It is sustained by treating faiths equally—and by resisting the political pressure to privilege one religious practice.
We remain committed to a model of religious freedom that protects all communities equally without elevating any one tradition through state action. At a time when identity-based pressures are increasingly shaping public policy, it is essential that lawmakers uphold neutrality, not abandon it.
Clarity Coalition will continue to advocate for a consistent, principled approach to religious accommodation—one that preserves pluralism by refusing preferential treatment. Equality under the law is not negotiable—it is the foundation of a genuinely pluralistic society.