American Muslims, we have a potentially serious problem.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the Muslim holiday commemorating the end of Ramadan and the end of fasting, is going to fall on September 10 or 11 this year (depending on the sighting of the moon). To Muslims, it's a big deal like Christmas; family comes together and celebrates and exchanges gifts. Many American Muslim groups are already worried that if Eid falls on 9/11 or near it, many people will see Muslims celebrating on the same day that many Americans are mourning or commemorating 9/11. Given the sudden thickening of the anti-Muslim climate this year, this could be extremely bad.
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said, "The issue I can sense brewing on hate sites on the Internet is, `These Muslims are celebrating on September 11.'" Hate crimes against Muslims or property is possible if not likely, Islamophobic bigots will try to make a shrill fuss about Muslims being so happy on 9/11, and likely showing photos of Muslims at Six Flags and setting off fireworks in backyards.
In 2009, a Shia perfume store owner in Houston put up a sign that he would be closed on 9/11 to mark the "martyrdom of Imam Ali" (which to Shiites is the equivalent of Good Friday). Immediately, he was the victim of harassment and death threats, all continuing to this day thanks to a chain email that falsely said that Imam Ali was the name of a 9/11 hijacker. The email continues to spread and he still keeps getting harassing phone calls and a ruined online reputation.
Eid is determined by a lunar calendar, so there's not much we can do to change the date. It seems like next month will be an inevitable mess, with a worst-case scenario of incidents like that all over the country.
Yes, this is worrying, but let's look at the positive here. We have nearly a month to prepare. Honestly, that's an awesome break for the community; did we have a month to prepare for the Danish cartoon controversy? New York Muslims were caught off guard when the WhyIslam.org subway ads during Ramadan suddenly became controversial because Congressman Peter King claimed it was deliberately offending people by showing up around the time of 9/11 (and I'm sure Congressman King and his ilk will make political hay about this year's festivities too). We have about 25 days before Eid, so time is for once on our side.
Time is a great asset here; let's use it to our advantage by getting the word out ahead of time. Talk to your friends in other religions and interfaith networks. Explain to them what Eid means and how it is by coincidence likely falling on September 11th this year. Let churches know by giving them a call, they'll likely mention it in their Sunday Missalette (to non-Christians, it's like a weekly church newsletter). Tweet it and post it on facebook.
Please, tell everyone; this goes for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Rather than have the Muslim community feel blindsided, Muslim neighbors should start preparing people to anticipate misunderstandings and let them know what to say and how to be safe in case hate crimes spike. I'm not calling for canceling Eid or any celebrations, but to do it with awareness and simple precautions like letting your neighbors know ahead of time. After 9/11, CAIR put out a Community Safety Kit, to protect against hate crimes and protect your rights. By sharing this information about Eid plans with non-Muslims, they too will be aware of the situation and can help. That way, if chain letter emails like the one above demonizing the poor shop-owner start going around, those in the know will either break the chain or step in to reply with corrections.
We can defuse this crisis before it even starts. Let's be proactive and spread this idea to local Muslims, neighbors, and community groups. CAIR does diversity training and has manuals for it in the workplace, and WiseGeek has a nice description of what Eid is, while HuffPo has a slideshow of Eid celebrations worldwide.
People are worried, but we can turn this crisis into an advantage if we plan for it right now. Rather than worry, let's make the best out of it and turn it into a teaching moment; a good excuse to talk to people about Ramadan.
Oh, and to those Muslims who are observing this Ramadan or fasting, Ramadan Mubarak!