HOUSE RESOLUTION

 PROCLAIMING SEPTEMBER 24, 2009, AS ISLAM DAY.

      WHEREAS, Hawaii is known for the wealth of its cultural and religious diversity and the harmony with which people of many cultures and religions live together; and

     WHEREAS, Muslims constitute an ethnically diverse part of Hawaii's cultural fabric, with around 3,000 practicing members; and

      WHEREAS, the Prophet Mohammad left his house to migrate to Madinah and reached Quba in the vicinity of Madinah on the 12th day of Rabi ul-Awwal according to the lunar calendar, or September 24th according to the Gregorian calendar, thereby marking the birth of Islam; and

      WHEREAS, Islam, a religion with a long and noble history, is the second largest religion in the world, with over one billion followers spread across every continent, and including members of many nations and cultures; and

      WHEREAS, the Islamic world preserved and made original contributions to works of science and philosophy during the Middle Ages when these disciplines were threatened by bigotry and prejudice in other parts of the world; and

      WHEREAS, Islamic artists, scientists, and philosophers have a rich history of contribution to world literature and our collective scientific understanding; and

      WHEREAS, the Islamic faith shares common teachings found in the texts of both Christianity and Judaism, whose followers are respected and considered "People of the Book"; and

      WHEREAS, Islamic doctrine encourages generosity in its adherents, maintaining that those who possess much have a responsibility to care for those in need; and

      WHEREAS, Islam, along with its monotheistic counterparts, holds that peace is a divine quality and necessary for collective human happiness; and

      WHEREAS, Islam strives for a world-wide community which, in the words of one Islamic poet-philosopher, "does not recognize the superficial differences of race, or history, or nationality"; and

      WHEREAS, the United States and countries of the Islamic world hold in common many beliefs and values including concepts of world community and mutual responsibility; and

      WHEREAS, international understanding and peace, as well as understanding and peace in our local communities, are strengthened by free and open communications among everyone representing various cultural and religious traditions; and

      WHEREAS, the 96th United States Congress officially recognized the noble qualities of Islam in a concurrent resolution on October 15, 1979 (SCR 43), honoring the religion's 14th centennial; now, therefore,

      BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that September 24, 2009, shall be known as "Islam Day" to recognize the rich religious, scientific, cultural, and artistic contributions Islam and the Islamic world have made since their founding; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Governor, and the Board of the Muslim Association of Hawaii.

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- Why would you choose to honor a religious/political group that does not support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All 57 Islamic countries endorsed the Cairo Declaration, NOT one endorsed the Universal Declaration. Article 5 of the Cairo Declaration prohibits imposing any restrictions on marriage stemming from "race, colour or nationality", notably excluding religion from the list. That is in part because Shariah law does restrict marriage on the basis of religion, since Shariah forbids a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man. Shariah does permit a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim woman. Article 6 of the Cairo Declaration states that women are guaranteed equal dignity, in contrast to the Universal declaration which offers equal rights. Equal dignity is amorphous and ambiguous and open to interpretation. Equal rights cannot be manipulated to fit Sharia law. Sharia law is based on the Islamic Trilolgy-the Koran, the sira, and the hadith. Equal rights conflict with the word of Allah and Mohammed (pbuh) as written in the trilogy. Rotary Club does good things. Did you know that HAMAS (the Islamic Resistance) states in Article 22 of their charter, written August 18, 1988, that the enemies of Isalm formed "...secret societies,such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionis interests." As an American and Hawaii resident I object to Islam Day.