KYIV: Two of the most significant Islamic festivals Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr will become public holidays in Ukraine.
The announcement was made by President Volodymyr Zelensky on the occasion of May 18, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide.
At a meeting with leadership of Crimean Tatars, Zelensky said that he wanted to build a nation where every citizen of Ukraine was an equal.
“I would like everyone to feel a full citizen. We want to support you not only in words but in deed at the legislative level,” he said.
Islam is the second biggest religion in Ukraine after Christianity as the indigenous people of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula are predominantly Muslim.
Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of Crimean Tatars thanked the president and said “We hope that the topic of Crimea, the topic of returning it to Ukraine and restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine will never disappear from the agenda of the leadership of our state.”
