As the holidays get into gear American Muslims prepare for their month long fast during Ramadan, already stocking up on supplies for wonderful feasts at each break of fast with anticipation of large social get-togethers each evening. Ramadan is an exciting time for Muslims and is a very important part of the Islamic religion. Fasting makes up one of the five pillars of Islam and is the responsibility of every able Muslim person. It is during this month that Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Ramadan falls in the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Al-Hijrah, and was the month in which the first verses of the holy Qur'an were revealed to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Every year Ramadan falls on a different month, and this year Ramadan begins on December 9th. (To find out more on Ramadan, see Why do Muslims Fast?)
The Ramadan holiday is still a relatively new holiday in terms of American religious holidays. It is very rare to find a ``Happy Blessed month of Ramadan’’ commercial among the countless “Christmas Greetings”, “Happy Hanukkah”, and “Happy Kwanzaa” commercials wishing holiday peace and love. But they do happen occasionally depending upon one’s location or the active influence of Muslims on local media outlets. America’s close to 6 million Muslims are becoming more influential by day in making the Islamic religion representative as one of the major religions in the United States.
A Ramadan commemorative postage stamp is next on the agenda for American Muslims, and rightly so. Holiday postage stamps already include a vast variety of Christmas stamps, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa collections, so why not a Ramadan postage stamp? On November 4th, Reps. Tom Davis (R-VA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) submitted a resolution (H. Con. Res. 220) calling for a Ramadan postage stamp to be issued in recognition of the Islamic month of Ramadan. If accepted, the Ramadan stamp will help educate Americans about the Islamic holiday of Ramadan and raise awareness of the Islamic faith.
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