City of Dearborn asked to close on Muslim holidays

AP ^ | 4.15.04

[ambrose]

City of Dearborn asked to close on Muslim holidays

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Good Friday and Christmas are city holidays. Now, with a large Muslim population living in Dearborn, local leaders of the faith are asking: Why not shut down for our holidays as well?

The western Detroit suburb of 88,000 has been a magnet for immigrants from the Mideast for decades and has one of the nation's largest concentration of Arabs.

Nearly 40 percent of Dearborn public school students are Muslim. The city also serves as a cultural and religious center for the estimated 300,000 members of the Arab-American community in southeastern Michigan.

The two major Muslims holidays in question are Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the monthlong Ramadan fast, and Eid al-Adha, which marks the annual completion of the pilgrimage to Mecca. The dates of the holidays change each year because they are determined by a lunar calendar.

"You do have a large Arab-American population in the city of Dearborn, and it is time for people of the Muslim faith to feel equally important," said Ahmed Chebbani, chairman of the American-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

The American Muslim Society on April 6 asked the City Council to make both days city holidays. The council referred the request to the city's legal department. Each of the Muslim holidays last for several days.

One city councilman expressed doubt.

"The city of Dearborn will follow the state and federal holiday calendar, and until that changes, that's where I stand," Thomas Tafelski said.

[Doug Fiedor]

A beautiful, huge mosque is located near Perrysburg, just south of Toledo.

Take a drive down Ford Road just about a quarter-mile east of Evergreen (three-quarter-mile west of Southfield) and look towards the north side of the road. There is a Huge building almost completed there that looks like (but is not) a large mosque. That will be quite an attraction when completed. Apparently there are also to be some very interesting gardens associated with it later.

[ladyjane]

Does this mean all the 7-11's will be closed?

[madison10]

What is it a copy of the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon?"

[iconoclast]

Dan I really think you must be mistaken on that 30% Arab figure you posted the other day for Dearborn.

[spodefly]

I was joking about that whole "Nuke Dearborn" thing ... besides, a few dozen MOABS is really all it would take ... ;)

Their kids ... address adults as "sir" or "ma'am," always say hello and I have never seen even a hint of any trouble.

Sounds like us southern boys and girls ... I always say sir and ma'am ... always have ... I mean good manners don't cost nuthin', ya know. (to quote Pink Floyd.)

[Doug Fiedor]

What is it a copy of the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon?"

No, lol, nothing quite so grand. I don't think they have that much land there and they will have to fit in a parking lot, too. But, the construction is unique Arab construction and rather large. I think the gardens may be very fancy, but more of an English style. Probably more or less just a pleasant place to walk and talk.

[Tuxedo]

http://www.bibleprobe.com/mohammed.htm

I fail to understand how this religion continues to infect the world. It is taking over Europe and now has a strong foothold in the US. Their core beliefs are very hostile to any other religions.

[sport]

Got my vote.

[sport]

You got it!

[ambrose]

That's great to hear. Are they mostly Muslim?

[Doug Fiedor]

"Mostly, yes. But, there is also two large groups who are Catholic.

[wardaddy]

They can cut it off at Christian and Jewish holidays as far as I'm concerned.

We are enough for enough folks already.

Besides, I'm not too impressed with Islam's attitude towards us so far....nothing personal W.

[FITZ]

Because this country was founded on God and Christian beliefs.

Out of all the people in the world who wouldn't mind immigrating to the USA --- why do we close the door to some and allow these who have no intention of assimilating with Western Judeo-Christian culture and values in? If we need a different type of religion --- let Hindus, Buddhists, or animists in --- some kind that can co-exist with Christians and Jews. We don't need to import all the problems of the Middle East.

[Dan from Michigan]

The numbers I've always heard were 30%, 1/3, or 30,000 (out of about 97,000.

[BohDaThone]

You're right that it usually just some city functions -- especially schools, and that's what I meant. Though City governments have closed their offices on Good friday afternoon, and that has been the subject of litigation. I read the Dearborn story to be city offices or schools, not "close the city" as in private businesses, etc.

[bonfire]

"These SOBs have alot of nerve asking for anything from the US."


You said it all.

[hunter112]

Thanks for an answer to my question. It makes sense, in the Midwest, ethnic communities often grouped together by nationality to deal with perceived persecution by the majority population. I remember the Italian, Polish, and Croatian neighborhoods from my time as a kid just outside the Chicago area. It seems that many Lebanese Christians must have come here, and Muslims followed later, to find less ostracism in a community where the people's ancestors had lived side by side with Muslims in the "old country".

There are interesting stories all over North America about how groups of settlers from a particular place all came together and built a community there.

[Old Professer]

Hostility often serves as a motive for aggression.