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Islamic Calligraphy Stamp Reissued

© Alia F. Hasan

According to Virtual Stamp Club- Eid Stamp the Eid Stamp has been reissued as first class postage along with other religious holiday stamps including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. This is good news for the American Muslim community which has not only had to campaign to issue the stamp in the first place but also to deal with the backlash against the stamp (as a symbol of the Muslim community in the US) after September 11th. According to several news reports some groups found the stamp offensive simply because it was Islamic and wanted to discourage the sale of it. One group went as far as insisting the stamp be replaced with an image of the Twin Towers. Ironically what is most offensive about this is that this move would have suggested that all Muslims are to blame for September 11th and that although other groups are entitled to commemorative stamps, the American Islamic community is not. In response to this backlash, Islamic organizations urged members to purchase the stamp to balance the hate campaigns and to ensure its reissue and their efforts have apparently paid off.

How the Eid Stamp Came To Be

The Eid Stamp was first issued in 2001 (USPS Press Release) as part of the Holiday Celebrations Series. It follows a tradition of commemorative stamps that recognize important holidays for major sectors of American society such as the Hanukkah stamp (1996) and Kwanzaa stamp (1997). The issuance of the stamp is in large part due to the actions of several individuals and Muslim groups in the US which had lobbied since the early 90s (see: First Ever Eid Stamp Unveiled for more on this) to get an Islamic stamp.

The stamp was designed by American-born calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya who used traditional methods of homemade black ink and bamboo reeds. The stamp itself simply reads "Eid Mubarak" in Arabic which is the rough equivalent of happy holidays (literally it translates as blessed festival). The writing is in gold thuluth calligraphy style on a blue background (Zakariya's original design was colorized by computer). Calligraphy (The Art of Calligraphy) is a traditional Islamic art that often adorns the walls of religious buildings as well as decorative plates and metalworks (and other artwork).

Conclusion

The stamp's reissue is significant on many levels. First it attests to the relative acceptance of the Muslim community as a major religious community here in the US. Second it suggests that the attempts of some to vilify anything Islamic, especially after the tragic events of September 11th, have failed and perhaps even backfired. Lastly it exposes all Americans to the beauty of Islamic art with the use of Islam's most celebrated artform-- Calligraphy.