Celebration coincides with 9/11 anniversary this year

 

 

 

While some Muslim groups in the United States are debating scaling back one of their most important festivals, leaders in Ottawa's Muslim community say they plan to mark this weekend's Eid ul-Fitr as usual, with a large public celebration and numerous smaller events.

The controversy in the U.S. stems from the convergence of two important dates: the ninth anniversary of the deadly attacks on New York and Washington -- perpetrated by terrorists in the name of Islam -- and the annual celebrations marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Amid growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, some leaders there wish to avoid the appearance of Muslims celebrating while the country marks the anniversary of a national tragedy.

In Ottawa, though, the community is more focused on the potential backlash against Muslims in the wake of the August arrests of four Muslim men accused of terror-related activities, says Salah Basalamah, spokesman for the advocacy group Muslim Presence.

"We've been discussing the arrests that happened in Ottawa, not this anniversary," Basalamah says.

"There is no intention to be insensitive towards the families (of victims of) Sept. 11 or towards the American people. Eid is a religious commemoration, not a political commemoration."

Basalamah is part of a group of local leaders working to create a co-ordinated response to the terror arrests, organizing meetings with the police and community members to address fears and concerns.

"We've been very clear on our position on the events of Sept. 11. We have denounced these acts and we are absolutely in solidarity with any victim of any unlawful act," Basalamah says.

"At the same time, we are caught in this situation in Ottawa right now where very important accusations are being made towards those young people. We want to make sure all rights are respected for due process of law and the presumption of innocence."

Eid and 9/11 have not converged before because the Islamic calendar follows the cycle of the moon and varies from year to year in the Gregorian calendar. Ramadan begins when the moon is sighted and ends 29 or 30 days later with Eid ul-Fitr, which typically involves visiting family and friends as well as some public celebrations.

In Ottawa this year, the largest Eid party will be held Saturday at the Carleton University Fieldhouse, where there will be children's activities, shows, ethnic food and competitions.

The polarizing debate over the proposal to build an Islamic community centre and mosque near the World Trade Centre site in New York, and the widely-publicized -- now possibly cancelled -- plans for a "Koran burning" by a Christian fundamentalist church in Florida, have some Muslim leaders there feeling uneasy about having a public party on the anniversary of an event so closely linked with Islamic terrorism in the eyes of many fellow citizens.

In the U.S., the annual Muslim Family Day -- celebrated in several cities at the Six Flags Amusement Parks -- has been postponed by a week to avoid coinciding with 9/11.

One of the founders of Muslim Family Day, Tariq Amanullah, was killed on 9/11 while working in the World Trade Centre.

Imam Zijad Delic, the Ottawa-based executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, says scaling back activities during Eid sends the wrong message about Islam's place in Western society.

"If people get into discourse of this nature I think we are accepting that terrorism is identified with Islam, and this goes against the logic we are trying to express," Delic says.

"We are part of this society and we are affected by any terror activities, in fact more than others: first as citizens, and secondly as Muslims in Western society, because of some sort of misunderstanding that all of us are painted with the same brush.

"We don't feel we have to apologize for the nonsense of a few, just like other religious groups do not apologize for attacks or abuse from their people," Delic says.

(source:ottawacitizen.com)