San Francisco reverses decision to recognize major Muslim holidays in schools, sparking outrage

The San Francisco School District has backtracked on a decision to make Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha school holidays, sparking backlash from the local Muslim and Arab community, who say the move gives in to racist opposition.

Late last month, the San Francisco Unified School District issued a number of recommendations for adding new holidays to the school calendar l, including recognizing certain religious holidays without formally labelling them holidays or closing school for those days.

The decision marks a major reversal for the school district, which in August had voted in favour of a resolution to add both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as school holidays.

However, soon after the resolution was passed, the school district was threatened with a lawsuit accusing the move to observe the Eid holiday as being a violation of the Constitution because it prioritizes one religion over others.