Petition · past parliament
Public Holiday on Muslims religious occasions in the UK(Eid ul Fitr&Eid ul Adha)
Closed
52,451 signatures
What the petition asks
Public Holiday on Muslims special two religious occasions in a year: 1. Eid ul-Fitr and 2. Eid ul-Adha. This will give an opportunity for Muslim families to get together and share happiness with other religious communities. It is very important for Muslims to celebrate EID.
Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom, with results from the United Kingdom Census 2011 giving the UK Muslim population in 2011 as 2,786,635, (2.7 million ) 4.8% of the total population. The vast majority of Muslims in the United Kingdom live in England: 2,660,116 (5.02% of the population).
Muslims don't get a lawful Public Holiday on their two special religious occasions in a year 1. Eid ul-Fitr and 2. Eid ul-Adha.
Muslims don't get a lawful Public Holiday on their two special religious occasions in a year 1. Eid ul-Fitr and 2. Eid ul-Adha.
Government response · 26 June 2018
The Government has no plans to create a public holiday to commemorate religious festivals such as Eid. The costs would be considerable. The cost of the 2012 Diamond Jubilee holiday was around £1.2bn.
The Government is committed to bringing people together in strong, united communities. We encourage and support people to have shared aspirations, values and experiences. Festivals such as Eid contribute towards this objective. We regret however that we cannot agree to create new bank or public holidays to mark this festival.
The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions including religious festivals. However the current pattern is well established and accepted,
Whilst an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable. The most recent estimate following an Impact Assessment (IA) for the additional holiday for the Diamond Jubilee is that a bank holiday (across the UK as a whole) costs employers around £1.2bn.
Workers in the UK are entitled to 28 days holiday each year. Workers are under no legal obligation to grant a religious-based request for time off. However Government's policy is to encourage employers to respond flexibly and sympathetically to any requests for leave, including requests for religious holidays, bearing in mind business needs. Acas provides detailed guidance for employers about religious festivals and holy days on its website.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions including religious festivals. However the current pattern is well established and accepted,
Whilst an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable. The most recent estimate following an Impact Assessment (IA) for the additional holiday for the Diamond Jubilee is that a bank holiday (across the UK as a whole) costs employers around £1.2bn.
Workers in the UK are entitled to 28 days holiday each year. Workers are under no legal obligation to grant a religious-based request for time off. However Government's policy is to encourage employers to respond flexibly and sympathetically to any requests for leave, including requests for religious holidays, bearing in mind business needs. Acas provides detailed guidance for employers about religious festivals and holy days on its website.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated this petition on 29 October 2018.
Timeline
| 29 May 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 10 Jun 2018 | Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response |
| 26 Jun 2018 | Government responded |
| 29 Oct 2018 | Debated in Parliament |
| 29 Nov 2018 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
52,451
Status
Closed
Opened
29 May 2018
Closed
29 Nov 2018
Response
26 Jun 2018
Debated
29 Oct 2018
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.