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By Mihar Dias September 2026
There are moments when a government does something so sensible that you wonder whether someone has accidentally entered the wrong building.
California has just recognised Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in state law.
Yes, Eid.
In California.
The land of Hollywood, Silicon Valley, earthquakes, electric cars and politicians who have discovered that Muslims, too, have calendars.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2017, formally recognising the two Islamic holidays and allowing workers to use existing paid leave to observe them. https://laist.com/news/california-recognizes-eid-as-a-state-holiday-what-does-that-mean
Nobody is asking California to shut down Hollywood.
Nobody is demanding that Silicon Valley stop inventing things.
Nobody is suggesting Disneyland replace Mickey Mouse with a giant ketupat.
It is much simpler than that.
California is saying that if Eid is important to millions of its residents, the state recognises that importance.
What a radical idea.
My son happens to be studying in Hollywood, which makes this announcement rather personal. He is apparently as ecstatic as a student can be at the prospect of celebrating Eid in California this year without having to explain to somebody that Eid is not the name of a new Hollywood superhero.
I can already imagine the conversation.
“Where are you going?”
“To celebrate Eid.”
“What's that?”
“It's Eid.”
“Is that a restaurant?”
“No.”
“A movie?”
“No.”
“A new Netflix series?”
“No. It's a Muslim celebration.”
At which point the Californian, being Californian, will probably reply:
“That's wonderful. Is it vegan?”
This is where Art Buchwald would have had fun.
He might have imagined California's Department of Motor Vehicles issuing a special Eid licence plate:
I BRAKE FOR EID.
Or perhaps Hollywood would finally produce the blockbuster nobody knew it had been missing:
EID — THE FINAL FAST.
Coming soon to a cinema near you.
Starring somebody who has never fasted in his life but has been specially trained to say "Eid Mubarak" with a convincing American accent.
But beneath the humour is something rather important.
Eid is not merely another date on a calendar. For Muslims, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, while Eid al-Adha commemorates the sacrifice associated with Prophet Ibrahim.
It means prayer, family, food, generosity and gathering together.
For a young Muslim studying thousands of miles from home, it also means something rather simpler:
home.
My son may be in Hollywood, but on Eid, Malaysia will still be in his heart — the food, the family, the familiar greetings and the slightly excessive number of dishes prepared as though the United Nations were coming to lunch.
So the possibility of celebrating Eid officially recognised in California is more than a bureaucratic convenience.
It is a small reminder to a young Malaysian far from home that his faith and traditions have a place wherever life takes him.
That is what good pluralism should do.
It does not demand that everybody become the same.
It simply makes room for everybody to be themselves.
California has not declared Eid more important than Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Vesak or any other religious observance.
It has simply said:
We know you are here.
And that may be the most important part.
No special privilege. No compulsory conversion. No demand that everybody eat nasi minyak.
Just recognition.
Which leaves me wondering whether Malaysia could learn something from California.
After all, California has Hollywood.
We have Putrajaya.
California has Silicon Valley.
We have Cyberjaya.
California has Governor Newsom.
We have enough governors, chief ministers and ministers to organise a very impressive Eid open house.
Perhaps the real lesson is that recognising somebody else's celebration does not diminish your own.
It enlarges the country — or, in California's case, the state.
And somewhere in Hollywood this year, my son may be standing among people from every conceivable corner of the world, saying:
“Eid Mubarak.”
And California, for once, will know exactly what he means.
Now that is something worth celebrating.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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