PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Muslim Stamp
November 8, 2007 on 12:17 pm | In Activism, Cultural Commentary |A friend forwarded one of those so-called “patriotic” e-mails you may have gotten expressing outrage about this fairly newly-issued stamp (from the postage price it may have been last year):
“THEY DON’T EVEN BELIEVE IN CHRIST AND THEY’RE GETTING THEIR OWN CHRISTMAS STAMP,” sez the genius who composed the nationalistic screed. Um,excuse me, Mr. or Ms. “Peace On Earth, Good Will Toward Men,” Eid isn’t Christmas. Look it up. It’s a Muslim holiday. “Eid” is not Arabic for “Merry Christmas.”
REMEMBER THE AMERICANS WHO HAVE DIED IN TERRORIST ATTACKS! BOYCOTT THIS STAMP!
Because, of course, the 5-8 million Muslims in America are all terrorists. That’s what it’s all about. Right on, and welcome to the holiday season!
(P.S. I actually love the design of the stamp and plan to use it to send all my holiday cards if it’s still available. Thanks, Miguelito!)
Update: It’s much older than I thought. You can read about its release, and about Eid, here. And you can read about the boycott of the stamp here.
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Awesome stamp, dumb reactions from some people. This kind of thing represents a huge opportunity for our nation to celebrate religious pluralism and show that we’re above religious exclusivism and favoritism. I take some satisfaction in assuming that a minority of Americans had dumb reactions like this.
Comment by Stephen Merino — November 8, 2007 #
The ignorance of some folks simply baffles me. I think its a wonderful stamp.
Comment by David Kling — November 8, 2007 #
I agree, that e-mail is junk.
Here’s some more info about the stamp from the USPS website:
The Eid stamp commemorates the two most important festivals—or eids—in the Islamic calendar. On these days, Muslims wish each other Eid mubarak, the phrase featured in Islamic calligraphy on the stamp. Eid mubarak translates literally as blessed festival, and can be paraphrased as May your religious holiday be blessed. This stamp is part of the Holiday Celebrations series.
Comment by Shelby Meyerhoff — November 8, 2007 #
I used to buy tons of these — used them for everything — to do my part to promote their sale and use. If a 41c version comes out, consider doing the same.
Comment by Scott (Boy in the Bands) — November 8, 2007 #
It’s stuff like this (the “patriotic” email crap) that makes me want to run off to a desert monastery…jeesh.
Comment by NDM — November 8, 2007 #
This stamp was first issued in 2001
Jeez…
Comment by Michael — November 8, 2007 #
That stupid email is still circulating. . . . .Glad you reminded us to refute those allegations by using the stamp!
Comment by Jan — November 8, 2007 #
I received this email a few weeks ago, and wrote the following response. Please feel free to forward it along to anyone who sends you this message:
First of all, the Eid stamp is not a Christmas stamp. It is a holiday stamp celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Adha, which commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. There really are more holidays in winter than Christmas.
Secondly, although Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they do revere him as a great prophet, greater than Moses, second only to Mohammed. They also honor Mary his mother.
Thirdly, if you’re going to “remember” assorted attacks as “Muslim attacks”, then please, don’t forget the “Christian attacks” of the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bomber, and the Centennial Olympic park bomber, not to mention the bombings of abortion clinics and the murders of homosexuals. No religion has a monopoly on terrorist extremists, and it is grossly unjust to blame “Muslims” everywhere for the actions of the terrorist extreme.
Fourthly, didn’t Jesus say “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mt 5:44)? I suggest that, even if you insist in blaming “Muslims” for these terrorist attacks, a truly Christian response would be to pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters during their holy season.
Finally, while I will naturally use Christmas stamps on my Christmas cards, I will once again this year be deliberately purchasing and using this stamp on all my ordinary correspondence during the month of December, as an act of solidarity with those of my fellow Americans who are Muslims.
When I was in grade school, I was taught about how Japanese-Americans were rounded up during WWII, that they were vilified and mistrusted and kept in internment camps, just because they were “Japs” and Japan was the enemy. I was taught that this was a shameful episode in our history, and that we had learned better since then.
I pray that this is, indeed, so.
Please join me in this prayer, and consider forwarding this response to whomever sent you the original “christmas stamp” message:
May Christians in America and throughout the world act lovingly towards everyone, and work towards peace with everyone, especially during the season of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Comment by StarWoman — November 8, 2007 #
this one (as you’ve heard) has been around for a while. Eid was actually several weeks ago, as my Muslim colleagues let us know. I usually buy several books of them and use them throughout the fall. Of course, that’s just me being passive-agressive!
There are several great make-your-own stamp sites, now, which create “metered postage” with your own picture on them. You can make your own Peace stamp if you want to!
Comment by Bee — November 9, 2007 #
I get these sorts of emails all of the time from a family member, including the “Muslim stamp” one recently. As far as ridiculousness goes, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
At one point I would have been naive enough to be surprised at all of the truly “un-American” things these pseudo-patriot chain mails say, and that people actually believe them, but not anymore.
Comment by Markkur — November 9, 2007 #
So ridiculous.
Starwoman - there are two main Muslim holidays - Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha. Eid al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, and as one person pointed out, occurred last month. Eid al Adha, the holiday that commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Eid al Adha will be coming up this winter because it is about two months after Eid al Fitr, but both holidays occur throughout the solar year. When I was a kid, for example, I remember celebrating an Eid in the Spring.
These are not winter holidays at all!
Comment by h sofia — November 9, 2007 #
Alright… So someone responded to me and said… Not all Muslims are terrorists, but so far all terrorists have been Muslim. DER!
Comment by Michael — November 9, 2007 #
Nothing says “peace and love” for the holidays like attacking your cousin religion and all the people that practice it… =)
Why does “they dont even believe in Christ!” sound like the statement of a jealous, angry child stomping her foot because her big brother got a cookie and she didnt…?
Comment by Mars Girl — November 9, 2007 #
Where were these wonderful responses last year when I received this email? Sadly, my own response to it was not nearly so eloquent or reasoned.
Comment by Peg Schuler-Armstrong — November 10, 2007 #
We are a Christian nation not a muslim nation!
Our history is one of Christians coming here to practice Christianity and our constituion was written by and for people of like beliefs. We have evolved due to liberal courts far from our roots and heritage. Perhaps we should ask Iraq, Iran and other muslim countries to issue Christian stamps, to honor Americans in their country!
Comment by TT — November 18, 2007 #
PeaceBang:
If you are going to use this on your holiday cards, you should know that the stamp in stylized callygraphy says “eid mabrook” (bottom word eid, top mabruk, which means blessed holiday, or congrats on the holiday. Eid means feast and mabruk means essentially congrats, or be blessed- and is related to the verbal root BRK, “to bless, or kneel.”
It is incidentally also the root for “Barak” Obama’s name.
What makes the controversy funny, sad and stupid is that this phrase is used by Christians for Christmas, which is known as Eid al-Meelad or “Feast of the Birth.” Your own birthday is Eid meeladee” or Feast of my birth. In both cases it is accpetable to say Eid Mabruk tp either one another (on Christmas) or even (I believe) to the birthday boy or girl.
There are several major Islamic Eids, as well. It not used for just one feast.
I learned this in the US Army at DLI Monterey. Just doin my part to silence thugs & make the world safe for democracy, here.
Comment by Charles — November 20, 2007 #