After Somalia-born naturalized American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called for a special envoy to fight Islamophobia, she and fellow Congresswomen the Palestinian American Rashida Tlaib who are called the “Hamas Caucus” with the support of several other Democratic lawmakers want to turn July into Muslim American Heritage Month.
The month of July is very sacred to Americans as they celebrate their independence (July 4) during this month. According to Omar who said, “As we continue to see an uptick in anti-Muslim hate, it is important we recognize the resiliency and accomplishments of Muslim Americans with a formal resolution,”
According to Tlaib, they would like it to be about honoring “the achievements, contributions, and sacrifices of Muslim Americans in the face of rising anti-Muslim hate.” Or, according to Tlaib, it will “provide an opportunity to foster religious tolerance nationwide and combat misinformation directed at the Muslim community.”
Democratic Congressman Andre Carson who converted to Islam said, “Muslim-Americans have played a major role in shaping our nation for centuries,” which exceeds the imagination and is historically inaccurate.
The fact is Muslims played little role in America until the 1970s and only after Black nationalists embraced Islam which led to violent terrorist attacks like the Hanafi Siege in D.C.
This is not the first time Muslims in America tried to appropriate things, after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001 when Islamic jihadists brought down the twin towers in New York City, the construction of a “Ground Zero Mosque” near the site of the greatest impact Islam that shaped American history was strongly pushed and now efforts are being made for a Muslim Heritage Month to take over July.
It must be noted that July is celebrated as National French-American Heritage Month and it is an affront to 12 million French-Americans whose ancestors played an important role in the American revolution.
In the United States of America, there is a separation of Church and State and the constitution is the supreme authority.
In fact, if one actually reads the first amendment which is the bedrock of freedom and free speech, the demand for a Muslim heritage month falls flat in its argument because it is against the spirit of the constitution that was written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
The first amendment clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,”, ergo religion cannot be considered as heritage.
In America, there is black history month (October), Scottish American Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October), Native American/American Indian Heritage Month (November), African American/Black History Month (February), Women’s History Month (March), Asian Pacific Heritage Month (May).
All these heritage celebrations are based on the ethnicity of people and not their religion and calling for a Muslim American heritage month is an act of imposing religion on people and is against the very root of the first amendment and the fundamental democratic ethos of the separation of church and state.
But the most important question one must ask Congresswomen Omar and Tlaib is what will be taught to the Americans and the millions of students if this resolution is passed.
Already Rashida Tlaib with the support of Reps. Donna Shalala, Debbie Dingell, and Bill Pascrell, Jr., introduced a resolution honoring Arab American Heritage Month, which will be a month-long celebration held in April to recognize the incredible contributions Arab Americans have made in the United States.
But the Arab American Heritage Month is based on ethnicity and not religion as there are Christians, Jews and other Arab minorities who fled Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and other parts of the Arab world to escape persecution.
One thing is clear, Islam is a religion and those who follow Islam are Muslims and one cannot define religion based on ethnicity.
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