Members of the Muslim community in Cherry Hill and the South Jersey region gather independently to celebrate the proclamation of January as Muslim American Heritage Month on Jan. 3.
Gov. Phil Murphy designated January as Muslim American Heritage Month in April of 2023, during an Eid celebration, to “promote awareness and appreciation of the many contributions of the state’s Muslim community.”
Following suit, a number of local communities in the South Jersey area have made proclamations to celebrate the Muslim community, including Moorestown, Mount Laurel – whose mayor is Muslim and which also recognized the Muslim holidays Ramadan and Eid al Fitr – and most recently, Cherry Hill.
But to the disappointment of people in the Muslim and larger community, there was no public presentation of the Cherry Hill proclamation. It was dropped off at township resident Mona Lari’s house on Dec. 27 without photos taken or community members gathered to receive it. There has also been no mention of it on social media.
The proclamation was delivered privately to Cherry Hill resident Mona Lari on behalf of the mayor’s office on Dec. 27, but without fanfare.
Lari serves as a trustee of the Pakistani American Society of South Jersey and is also on the advisory council of the mayor office, and though she feels honored to receive the proclamation, both she and others would have preferred a more public recognition after about 20 township Muslims and others attended the Dec. 30 council meeting in person and more joining online, anticipating their community would be cited for its contributions.
“The Muslim Heritage Month, Muslim American Heritage Month is a way to celebrate and reflect on the contributions that Muslims have made in our country and specifically for us in Cherry Hill, and so the month of January provides an important opportunity for us to come together to celebrate those contributions, to share our stories and to build greater understanding and unity within the broader community,” said John Starling, director and Imam of the Gracious Center of Learning and Enrichment Activities (GCLEA), a Cherry Hill mosque that serves the South Jersey Muslim community.
“Having a public proclamation really just emphasizes that point,” he added, “and I think sets a standard for the community. For that reason, while we’re honored and looking forward to celebrating the month, I personally and many other people were disappointed that the mayor and council chose not to publicly present the proclamation.”
The proclamation was not on the council meeting agenda and was verbally acknowledged only during the mayor’s comments and those of other members.
“All across town, families are celebrating Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanza,” noted Mayor David Fleisher during his initial comments. “In addition, many families held joyful Diwali celebrations last month, and in January, we will celebrate Three Kings Day, Muslim Heritage Month, and the start of Lunar New Year.
“As a community, Cherry Hill exemplifies the true spirit of the holiday season, of kindness, connection and inclusivity.”
During his later comments, Fleisher reiterated that he did acknowledge the proclamation in his earlier comments and during his mayor’s message, sent by email on Dec. 23 as part of the e-newsletter, which contained the same wording.
Though she was honored to receive it, Lari shared that she was not given a choice about how to receive the proclamation and that the township initially indicated it would be part of the Dec. 30 meeting. Council later retracted the decision due to a full agenda for the session that included six ordinances with public or second readings. As of Jan. 3, the mayor’s office had not responded to a request for comment.
“… I appreciate that they did (give her the proclamation), but it was not presented with the dignity that my community deserves,” Lari said. “Just dropping it off to one person, because they know me, doesn’t make me feel any better that the whole community is hurt.”
While members of the Muslim and Jewish communities have expressed their thanks for the proclamation acknowledging Muslim American Heritage Month, they also emphasized their contributions to the community and expressed disappointment with the lack of public acknowledgment.
A petition created by township resident Samia Mian calling for a more public recognition went out on Dec. 26 and had garnered more than 200 signatures by the time of the Dec. 30 meeting. Omar Raja, a graduate of Cherry Hill school district, recalled some of the contributions he has seen and been part of growing up in Cherry Hill.
“It’s been part of my whole life to be part of the GCLEA, feeding people in the community with the restaurant that we have (in Phiadelphia) …” he noted, ” … but I just want to say, as a community, we would like a more public proclamation to validate all the things that not just the Muslims have been through this year, but everybody around the community has been through this year.
“So we all deserve the same standing as everyone else in the community,” Raja added. ” … I guess we would all like to feel included like we’re part of this community, too.”
In January, the Cherry Hill library will screen “The Sultan and the Saint” on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and hold a children’s storytime and craft event to celebrate Muslim heritage through art on Saturday, Jan. 18.
The New Jersey Muslim Heritage Month Coalition will also be celebrating the month with a festival on January 25 from 2 to 7 p.m. at Eden Gardens at 1444 Rte. 73 in Pennsauken.
The full council meeting is available on the Cherry Hill Facebook page.
This article was updated on Jan. 7, 2025.
