News - National
US Muslims prep for Islamic holiday - around 9/11
Posted: Aug 13, 2010 6:28 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Updated: Aug 13, 2010 6:29 AM
A joyous Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan has the potential for misunderstandings or worse in the United States.
Eid al-Fitr falls around September 11 this year. Muslim leaders fear that their festive gatherings could be misinterpreted as a celebration of the 2001 terrorist strikes. The exact date of the holiday is not yet known. Muslims follow a lunar calendar, so the holiday could fall anywhere from Thursday, September 9, to Saturday, Sept. 11.
Traditionally, Muslims exchange gifts, hold parties and fill mosques to overflowing.
American Muslim groups are contacting law enforcement, civil rights officials and interfaith leaders to alert them to the overlap and the possible trouble it could cause.
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