For the first time in the US, a municipality declared Eid al-Fitr a public holiday.

Dearborn, Michigan Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told local media: “This is the first time that a municipality has declared Eid al-Fitr a holiday and their faith is officially recognized like any other. I think this is very important.” he said.

Hammoud, of Lebanese descent, who was elected in 2021 and became Dearborn’s first Muslim mayor, said that for the first time the Muslim community “will feel like a part of the city where they were born and raised.”

With the decision made, it was indicated that for the first time in the US, all employees of a municipality will be entitled to paid vacations on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, while official institutions such as courts and libraries will remain closed. Friday April 21, together with the town hall.

,THE PARTY WILL BE HELD AT FESTIVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME

It was also announced that a free Eid-al-Fitr festival will be held on the second day of the festival under the auspices of the Dearborn Council.

Dearborn is known as the city with the largest Muslim population in the US, with about half of its population of around 110,000 known to be of Arab origin.

While Eid al-Fitr is becoming more widely accepted in the US each year, in some states with large Muslim populations, such as New York and New Jersey, schools are closed on the first day of the holiday.

The United Nations Headquarters in New York has also been closed on the first day of the holiday for a while. (AA)