Utah joins few states recognizing Muslim American Heritage Month

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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Friday declared July as Muslim American Heritage Month, becoming a member of just a few states that acknowledge the month.

“At this time Utah is enriched by its Muslim American folks and tradition within the arts, delicacies, enterprise, authorities and sports activities,” reads a declaration from Cox. “For over a century, Muslims have been making useful contributions to just about each side of American society.”

The declaration, introduced by the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, additionally acknowledges that bigotry, stereotypes and anti-Muslim hate speech and actions have resulted in Muslim American historical past being uncared for and says such abuses have to be combated with training and consciousness.

The division expressed gratitude for the advocacy work of the Utah Muslim Civic League on social media.

“We’re extraordinarily grateful,” stated Luna Banuri, the league’s government director. “The response from the group has been various. Some had not heard about it and a few had checked out it because the gateway to options for each concern the Muslims face of their each day life to be solved by this proclamation.”

Banuri added that the Utah Muslim Civic League is planning a celebratory occasion and hopes to have a monthlong celebration in 2023 that will spotlight numerous ethnic communities inside the Muslim group by way of meals and tradition.

She stated concepts for a month recognizing Muslims in Utah stretch again to 2020 when the league’s advocacy efforts for the state’s Bosnian group resulted in then-Gov. Gary Herbert, Salt Lake Metropolis Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson issuing proclamations marking the twenty fifth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. In response to Amnesty Worldwide, 8,000 Bosnian Muslim males and boys had been killed through the bloodbath by the Bosnian Serb Military in what was a delegated United Nations “secure space.” Banuri stated energetic conversations with Cox’s crew in regards to the month then started at first of this yr.

Muslim American Heritage Month definitely is not the one month within the U.S. devoted to celebrating an ethnic heritage, however it might be the latest (though Arab American Heritage Month, which gained federal recognition final April is a detailed second).

Black Historical past Month, celebrated in February; Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, celebrated in Might; and Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept.15. to Oct. 15, have had federal recognition since 1976, 1989, and 1990, respectively. Nevertheless it wasn’t till final yr {that a} congressional decision was launched in help of recognizing July as Muslim American Heritage Month. That decision has not but moved out of committee.

It additionally seems that Utah joins solely a handful of states which have acknowledged Muslim American Heritage Month, together with Illinois, which celebrates the month in January, and Washington. Each states started recognizing the month in 2022.

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