Practicing Muslims may be absent from school and work today as they celebrate their holy day, Eid al-Adha. The holiday, which occurs one day after Sept. 11 this year, had some Muslims worried about America’s response.
The story of Eid appears once in Al-Ma’ida, the fifth sura of the Quran, with the meaning “solemn festival.”
God called Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on a mountain in Moriah. Abraham, being a godly man, did as he was bid and took Isaac to the top of the mountain with wood for a pyre.
After he fastened Isaac down to the wood, he raised his knife. Before it struck, the angel of the Lord stopped him and said that he need not slay his son because his willingness was enough.
In an article published by the New York Times on Aug. 28, some Muslims in the nation expressed concern for their safety and for the misunderstanding of the public.
Some Bloomington practicing Muslims have added their thoughts to the conversation, though they’ve said they’re not afraid.
“Eid is the day where people ask forgiveness for each other, and there’s no hate,” Bloomington resident Rachid Maïdi said. “It’s politics that inject that poison.”
The holiday changes its date every year based on the lunar calendar. For a while, it was unclear exactly which day Eid would occur this year. It was predicted to be either on the 11 or 12. Though, the decision ultimately fell to Saudi Arabia to read the moon, and they decided this year’s Eid would be on the 12.
“Let’s say on December 24, America throws a bomb somewhere and the Muslims accused them of celebrating it on Christmas,” Maïdi said, shaking his head. “I think we should understand that we, as Muslims, had nothing to do with 9/11. Absolutely nothing. Zero to do with it.”
Both Maïdi and another Bloomington Muslim, Hemayatullah Shahrani, said that while there have been a few issues of discrimination in Bloomington, the town has overall been supportive, and they wouldn’t have expected a negative reaction from the community.
“There could be backlash by people’s misunderstanding,” Shahrani said. “There’s absolutely a possibility, but I hope not. But ignorance can lead to a lot of things.”
The holy day also coincides with the Hajj. The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims who are physically and financially able must make at least once.
When asked how he would celebrate Eid al-Adha if it landed on Sept. 11, Shahrani said he would celebrate as normal.
“9/11 is a sad day, but I don’t see myself as involved,” he said. “People should know on 9/11 there were Muslims in those buildings, too. They were just normal people going to work. There were police and firefighters there who were Muslim, too, but they don’t make the news.”
Shahrani said that this year was a complete coincidence, and that the holy day occurs about 10 or 11 days earlier every year, so it wasn’t on or around Sept. 11 last year nor will it be next year.
Islam has been in the news frequently in the past several months — Burhkini bans in France and ISIS terrorist attacks around the world. It is unknown how citizens would have reacted had the moon spoken differently. Though, for Maïdi and Shahrani, nothing would have changed.
“Personally, I have a Constitution I believe in, so I don’t care,” Maïdi said. “I’ve paid my dues as an American. Others may be worried, but if I’m an American, I should be treated as an American.”
