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Calling upon the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia to recognize Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha which commemorates Hajj, the annual holy pilgrimage to Mecca, and to observe both Eids in the same manner as other legally recognized holidays in Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and specifically Philadelphia are lauded as the nation’s birthplace. William Penn founded the colony as a Holy Experiment, and example of religious tolerance, including language in the 1701 Charter of Privileges which guaranteed religious freedom to all. Long before "multi-culturalism", was a widely-accepted norm, Philadelphia was a open to all faiths, all ethnicities, and all nationalities; and
WHEREAS, Islam is currently the world’s second-largest religion and it is the fastest-growing major religion and is projected to become the world’s largest religious group in the second half of this century. According to a Pew Research Center estimate, there were 1.6 billion Muslims in the world as of 2010 – roughly 23% of the global population*; and
WHEREAS, Islam in America was launched as a moral and religious system that encouraged self-determination, self-development, moral discipline, and community empowerment based on virtues of freedom, justice and equality similar to William Penn’s ideology. Philadelphia has become the metropolitan area with the highest proportion of Muslims in the U.S., according to many reports the City is estimated to be home to more than 200,000 Muslims; and
WHEREAS, Eid al-Adha also known as the “Greater Eid” is celebrated on the 10th day of the Islamic Month of Dhul-Hijr. Eid al-Adha commemorates the millions of Muslims participating in the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca; and
WHEREAS, Muslim leaders of Philadelphia recognize astronomical calculation as an acceptable method for determining the beginning of the lunar calendar, including the month of Ramadan and Shawwal; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia and other such agencies recognize a number of religious holidays, including Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Christmas, and Good Friday. The growing population of Islamic observers and the religious significance of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha also warrant acknowledgement, equal recognition and observance by the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the City of Philadelphia and the School District of Philadelphia are hereby called upon to recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as holidays to be observed in the same manner as other legally recognized holidays in Philadelphia.
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* Lipka, M. (2015). Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S. and Around the World. Pew Research Center, available at http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/07/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/.
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