NY City Council backs closure of schools for Islamic Feast on Sept. 11th

The New York City Council June 30 called on Mayor Bloomberg to add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to the New York Public School calendar. The non-binding council vote, Resolution 1281, passed with only councilmember G. Oliver Koppel opposing, urges the schools be closed to celebrate the two Islamic feast days. The vote comes as the culmination of a three-years lobbying effort by New York Islamist groups and what supporters such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations describe as “over 80 Labor and Community Organizations.”

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Photo Above: "Intifada NYC" T-shirts sold by www.Awaam.org, supporters of resolution 1281.

The New York Times July 1 noted:

Supporters also say that since the Ids (pronounced eeds) are floating holidays whose timing is set by the lunar calendar, they often fall on other religious holidays, on weekends or during the summer. During the next decade, for instance, at least one of the two Ids each year is expected to coincide with summer recess or an existing school holiday, according to a report by the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University.

While assiduously digging into Islamic lunar calendar for the future timing of the Islamic feast days, The Times fails to mention that Eid al-Adha falls on Sunday, September 11 in the year 2016 and Eid al-Fitr will begin at sunset on September 9 and continue to sunset on Friday September 10 in the year 2010. These “civil dates” for the two feast days are projected by the Islamic Umm al-Qura calendar maintained by the Saudi Government.  They are the likeliest possible dates for sighting of the crescent moon at Mecca. The feasts may fall one or two days earlier or later depending on a Saudi “hilal committee” responsible to spot the first visible crescent moon at Mecca—so Eid al-Fitr could possibly begin at sunset on September 10 or 11 and continue into September 11 or 12, 2010.  Resolution 1281 makes no mention of the date on which the Islamic feast days will be celebrated. The Umm al-Qura calendar gives the modern "Georgian" calendar dates of five Islamic feast days and holidays until the year 2029. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are the two which will fall on September 11 soonest. The next will be Islamic New Year--1 Muharram--which will be September 11, 2018. No others fall on September 11 through 2029. This is not the only example of Islamists convincing local authorities to celebrate Islam on September 11. Earlier this year the Hawaii State Legislature voted to celebrate “Islam Day” on September 24, 2009—a day which corresponds to absolutely nothing in the Islamic calendar but is September 11, 2009 on the old Julian calendar favored by the Eastern Orthodox Christians conquered by Islam. New York is not alone. According to The Times, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha “have already been adopted by school districts including Dearborn, Mich., and several municipalities in New Jersey.”  According to the text of Resolution 1281 these include: "Irvington, Atlantic City, Trenton and Paterson." Will Mayor Bloomberg be successful in keeping New York City schools from celebrating Islamic feasts on September 11?  The Times points out several possible avenues for Islamist victory:

It was unclear on Tuesday whether Mr. Bloomberg would continue to have final say on the issue, because the State Legislature still has not passed a bill to extend his control over the schools. But some officials said that even if the bill did not pass, he would be able to exert indirect control through appointments to the Board of Education. The Council resolution also urged the Legislature to pass two pending bills that would amend state education law to require the holidays in the city’s school calendar. That could allow the move without the mayor’s approval, said Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan, a co-sponsor of the resolution and a Muslim.

Public Islamist reaction to the council resolution is muted--the holidays are not yet law.  But Islamists—including the webmaster of the Hawaii “Islamic Information Office” (IIO) website are on line celebrating the Hawaii Legislature’s vote to designate September 24 as “Islam Day.” "City of Brass" blogger Aziz Poonawalla of Madison, Wisconsin May 19 writes: “Naturally, there are some (conservative, Republican) people who see this as dhimmitude incarnate. This fellow for example warns starkly of burkas and bikinis (maybe he should read my essay...) and intones seriously, "the muslims are laughing". Why, yes, we are indeed.” The first commenter on Poonawalla’s blog post identifies himself as Hawaii IIO webmaster Abdul Rashid Abdullah.  The Islamic Information Office (IIO) website is tied to the Hawaii-based Muslim initiators of the “Islam Day” resolution.  Abdullah provides a link to a Honolulu Star-Bulletin poll on Islam Day and urges Poonawalla’s readers to vote. The next morning “Indira” comments: “Nice work, that is also September 11 on the Julian calendar, no wonder you are laughing at kufr.” (Kufr is a derogatory term for non-Muslims.) That's nothing compared to the laugh the Islamists will have if they can get "kufr" to celebrate Islamic feast days on September 11 in New York City. More resources at Hawaii Free Press Andrew Walden is the Editor of The Hawai`i Free Press is a twice-monthly, independent, locally-owned newspaper covering political, social, cultural, and economic issues from local to international. Hawai`i Free Press brings out points of view based on free enterprise, small government, and individual liberty as a counterpoint to what is presented in the rest of Hawai`i print and television media.