Eid and stamps
I'm no scholar in Islam so I'll let others do the talking, but here is some information on the Eid, which actually consists of two holidays:
Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast Breaking http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/eid_fitr.htm,
and
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/a/adha.htm
The Eid stamp in circulation has been around since 2001. It has been reissued every year since, with it's latest incarnation being a 44 cent first class stamp. It features calligraphy by Mohamed Zakariya that says "Eid mubarak" or "blessed festival". You can see it here:
https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&productId=10006182&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10000003&top_category=10000003&categoryId=10000068&top=¤tPage=1&sort=&viewAll=N&rn=CategoriesDisplay&WT.ac=10006182
There's been an email floating around that calls for a boycott of this stamp. I am saddened to see such animosity towards a religion as a whole due to the actions of an extremist few. The Eid stamp is not in "competition" with Christmas, it is not a pandering to terrorists, and it is not a "slap in the face" to Americans as the email claims. It is a stamp for Muslims to enjoy just like there are Madonna and Child stamps for Christians to enjoy just like there are coral reef stamps for marine enthusiasts to enjoy...you get the picture.
Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast Breaking http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/eid_fitr.htm,
and
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/a/adha.htm
The Eid stamp in circulation has been around since 2001. It has been reissued every year since, with it's latest incarnation being a 44 cent first class stamp. It features calligraphy by Mohamed Zakariya that says "Eid mubarak" or "blessed festival". You can see it here:
https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&productId=10006182&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10000003&top_category=10000003&categoryId=10000068&top=¤tPage=1&sort=&viewAll=N&rn=CategoriesDisplay&WT.ac=10006182
There's been an email floating around that calls for a boycott of this stamp. I am saddened to see such animosity towards a religion as a whole due to the actions of an extremist few. The Eid stamp is not in "competition" with Christmas, it is not a pandering to terrorists, and it is not a "slap in the face" to Americans as the email claims. It is a stamp for Muslims to enjoy just like there are Madonna and Child stamps for Christians to enjoy just like there are coral reef stamps for marine enthusiasts to enjoy...you get the picture.