Cherry Hill Sun

Tag: muslim american heritage month

  • ‘Part of one family’

    Special to The Sun
    Several members of Muslim nonprofits and organizations around South Jersey came together to plan the second annual South Jersey Muslim Heritage Month Festival last month.

    The second annual South Jersey Muslim Heritage Month Festival organized by the Muslim Heritage Month Coalition of New Jersey was just one of several events across the region that celebrated the meaning of January.

    Held at Eden Gardens Banquet in Pennsauken, the festival saw thousands of people treated to an international bazaar, global cuisine, cultural performances and more.

    “It was such an incredible experience having the community come out, whether they were Muslim or non-Muslim, to support the Muslim community, which was extremely heartwarming,” said festival co-organizer Anam Raja.

    “Whether you’ve been in this country for generations or you’ve been in this country for just a few years, the roots of Muslims in this country go deep,” noted festival co-organizer Asma Kasuba. “As Muslims, we consider ourselves to be part of one family … Whether it’s Muslim or European Muslim or Middle Eastern … it’s all part of our shared history, and that’s what we really wanted to emphasize.”

    Gov. Phil Murphy signed a proclamation designating January as Muslim Heritage Month in 2023. Townships across New Jersey that have done so include Moorestown, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Haddonfield and Pennsauken. The state has one of the highest percentages of Muslim residents in the country, and according to the website for the Heritage Month Coalition, Murphy emphasized that the designation is a recognition of the rich histories, cultures and principles of Muslim Americans, highlighting their roles in sectors such as patriotism, philanthropy, advocacy, civic engagement and culture.

    “You may or may not already know that you know a Muslim person and that you’re working with them and eating with them, and some of the myths and propaganda that is sometimes more media driven isn’t true,” said festival co-organizer Aysha Hasan. “Sometimes that’s more of a political aspect in nature than it is a faith-based or heritage background of commentary, and so we want to show that we’ve been here since Christopher Columbus’s age …

    “There’s so much that we have contributed, but a lot of people don’t know because it’s been overshadowed by other things,” she added. “We want everyone to know that we will continue to have a positive contribution to society as we have had in the past.”

    Christine Harkinson/The Sun
    The festival saw thousands of people treated to an international bazaar featuring global cuisine, cultural performances, jewelry and garments.

    Additional statewide Muslim Heritage Month events included the Central Jersey Muslim Heritage Month Festival in Edison, the Muslim Heritage Month Celebration open house in Newark and the Muslim Heritage Month Committee of New Jersey’s cultural expo in Teaneck, all events that featured vendors, bazaars, art exhibitions and more.

    The second annual South Jersey Muslim Heritage Month Festival featured cuisine from all different parts of the world, jewelry, garments, Ramadan decorations, books, children’s accessories and custom-made pieces. There were also prayers, performances, a Tanoura dance and children’s programs. The festival was an event that had help from lots of hands, including youth.

    “This event is building for our new generation,” explained festival co-organizer Tasama Soltan. “If you could see how many young volunteers there were … they’re learning how they can create these events, how they can work together, not only with the Muslim community, they can work with other communities …

    “They are proud of themselves,” Soltan added. “They are in … We’re trying to help them to get more involved and look forward to a better future together.”

    Other festival co-organizers include Sameen Butt, Sarah Bernardo, Shehla Hasan, Sofia Basar, Sonia Uppal, Sumaiyya Asim, Quadsia Niaz, Anuum Baig, Aliaa Moktar, Aya Salem, Lena Sidiqqi, Maiada Ramadan and Mahreen Syed. All the organizers thanked leadership at the local and state levels for their support in attending the event.

    The Muslim Heritage Month Coalition aims to inspire a legacy of unity, cultural exchange and appreciation that transcends boundaries and promotes a shared sense of belonging among all New Jersey residents. Several of the co-organizers are from different Muslim organizations, including the Moorestown Muslims, the Mount Laurel Muslim Association and Marlton Muslim Families, among others, and some didn’t know each other before planning the festival.

    “We wanted everybody to be a part of it, so we could also advocate for our own townships, we could support local initiatives and Muslim-owned businesses, and just simply learn and share knowledge with everybody,” Bernardo said of the festival.

    “I think that was, for me, one of the things that really hit it off and I was happy to be a part of it.”

    If you’re interested in donating to future Muslim Heritage Month events, visit www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-muslim-heritage-month.

  • Muslims call for public recognition of Muslim American Heritage Month

    Special to The Sun
    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.

    Special to The Sun
    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.