“I want to thank Mayor de Blasio for adding Eid-al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr to the public school holiday calendar.
“Islam is one of the largest religions in the world, and the Muslim community is thriving not just in The Bronx but throughout the city of New York. This decision allows our city’s Muslim community to fully practice their faith without it interfering with their school attendance and education. As I have said in the past, by recognizing these two important holidays, we show that not only are we welcoming to everyone’s religious beliefs but that we respect everyone’s Constitutional right to freedom of religion.
“I had been working on this issue since I was in the State Assembly, having first introduced the bill to declare these two days school holidays in 2007. Today’s announcement is the completion of years of hard work by the Muslim community and their allies in the legislature, and we applaud their efforts today,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.