Al-Masakin reminds State Department Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid that Friday is not the “Sabbath” for Muslims

Al-Masakin News Agency

Op / Ed

By Edward Campbell

Missoula, Feb. 6 (Al-Masakin)–With all due resepect Mr. Duguid if the new administration is truly seeking a new relationship with the Muslim world, as I believe it should, it would be helpful to learn some of the principles of the religion including some of its vocabulary.  For the Muslim people Friday is “Jum’ah.”   The Sabbath, or more corerctly Shabbot, is the Jewish holy day which is on Saturday, or more precisely from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday.  It should be understood that religious observence by the respective devotees  on these two days are completely different, and therefore are appropriately so named.

It should be noted however that the Muslim Friday Jum’ah is different from the Jewish Shabbot in that it is permissible for a Muslim to work on Jum’ah, whereas it is forbidden for a Jew to work on Shabbot.  Although most Islamic states consider Jum’ah to be a State holiday, many Muslim workers do not take the day off from work and are not required by Islamic jurisprudence to do so.  And although the Pakistani government is indeed adjourned today, it is not for “the Sabbath,” but for Jum’ah.

I hope you understand my meaning and why I’m taking the time to explain all this in detail.  Former administrations have been all too satisfied to paint all non-Christians with a very broad brush, but I think it wiser to recognize a certain amount of diversity at least in this fundamental concer.  In otherwords, Jews don’t want to hear the Muslim holy day referred to as the Sabbath any more than Muslims do.

Yours truly,

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Al-Masakin News Agency

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