Islam Day was a day of recognition for

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and Muslims in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

on September 24, 2009 designated by a symbolic resolution of the State Legislature.

Establishment

Hawaii House Concurrent Resolution 100 to establish the day was proposed by

Lyla Berg Lyla Berg (born March 15, 1951) is a Hawaiian Hawaii Democratic Party, Democratic politician. She was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2004 representing the Kāhala, Hawaii, Kāhala area of Honolulu on Oahu. Berg was a Democr ...

and passed unanimously on May 6, 2009. The

Hawaii Senate The Hawaii Senate is the upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature. It consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands and is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membe ...

passed the resolution 22 to 3 to recognize "the rich religious, scientific, cultural and artistic contributions of the Islamic world". It was set for November 21 the founding of Islam, but moved to September 24 on the day

Mohammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

arrived in

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

in 644, allegedly because it conflicted with Aloha (Makahiki) Festivals. It was a state-designated day of recognition and not a holiday and no government funds were designated to it, to preserve the "

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

". Muslims and supporters have seen it as an opportunity to repair the image of Islam, damaged by

Islamic extremism Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic unde ...

. The public in Hawaii had a largely indifferent reaction to the news of the new day.

First Celebration

On September 24, 2009 Hawaii celebrated its first Islam Day with events held at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

and around the islands. At

Ala Moana Beach Park Ala Moana Beach Park is a free public park on the island of Oahu, U.S. state of Hawaii, located between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. This park has a wide gold-sand beach that is over a half-mile (800 m) long. Protected by a shallow reef offsho ...

a festival was held by the Muslim Association of Hawaii with more than 1000 people attending. "We expected 200 to 300, so we're very pleased with the turnout." Twelve police and guards were present but no protest or disturbance took place.

References

{{Reflist Celebrations in Hawaii Islam in Hawaii

Establishment

First Celebration

See also

References