Posted on 12/04/2004 5:15:02 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
Washington -- The county council of Howard County, Maryland -- a suburb of Washington and Baltimore -- made headlines recently when it passed legislation prohibiting the scheduling of public hearings on the two Eid holidays, the most holy days in Islam.
Although Howard County's action is unusual, it does reflect a growing trend toward official recognition of Muslim holidays in the United States, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which informally tracks such developments.
Especially since the attacks of September 11, 2001, "more and more Muslims are working to get their communities integrated into U.S. society and have made efforts to get their religious holidays recognized and accommodated at school and in the workplace," says Rabiah Ahmed, communications coordinator in CAIR's national office in Washington.
Even before 9/11, public school systems in the states of Michigan and New Jersey with large Muslim populations declared school holidays on Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan; and Eid ul-Adha, which celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
The Dearborn, Michigan, public school system and colleges such as Syracuse University in New York, offer Halal meals prepared according to Islamic standards in their cafeterias. At Syracuse, Eid ul-Fitr is also an official holiday for students and faculty.
The White House, the Department of State and the Department of Defense host annual Iftar dinners to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan. A CAIR-sponsored Iftar on Capitol Hill this year attracted about 10 Congressional co-sponsors and several hundred attendees, including diplomats, members of Congress, and other government officials. In California, five state legislators co-sponsored what was billed as the first annual Ramadan Iftar at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
The Howard County, Maryland, law resulted from the inadvertent scheduling of an important planning board hearing on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Councilman Ken Ulman, who is Jewish, introduced a bill to officially prohibit scheduling of hearings on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the two holiest days for Jews.
"While I was putting together the bill, I thought it was appropriate to reach out to the Howard County Muslim community and ask if there were one or two days so holy that people would not be able to participate in public hearings scheduled for those days," Ulman says. Based on the response he received, "I thought it was an important gesture to include Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha in the bill."
After the legislation was passed, Ulman says, he received more than 100 e-mails from all over the world welcoming his action as a sign of respect and acceptance. "I've gotten responses from both Jews and Muslims who felt that with all the issues in the Middle East this was a nice symbolic gesture to have two Jewish holidays and two Muslim holidays included in the same piece of legislation," he says.
Celena Khatib, director of the Michigan office of CAIR, says she has seen an increased effort by both Muslims and non-Muslims to achieve a better mutual understanding in recent years.
"I have seen an increase in people requesting diversity training, people requesting speakers on Islam, and I get calls all the time from human resources officials who want information so they accommodate their employees' needs," she says. "I think the Muslim community realized after 9/11 that we need to be more open for people to get to know us, so we've also become more proactive."
Ulman credits the Muslim community in his county for recognizing the importance of making contact with elected officials. "Had I not gotten to know the Muslim leadership, I might not have reached out or not have known whom to reach," he says.
"This country was founded upon the strength of its diversity, although it has taken us a long time to view certain groups' diversity as a strength," Ulman adds. "It's all about education, exploring our differences, and breaking down the barriers."
bttt
I hate this s--t!!! The day my daughter has to celebrate Ramadan is her last day of school. They want us all to cave in, convert, and pick out our burqas. Oh hell, no!
I can't wait to celebrate "9/11 Day" and watch the Muslims dancing in the streets, again.
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