Bill Text: NY J00650 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Observing and celebrating March 22-April 21, 2023, as Ramadan, the month of fasting for the Muslim community, in the State of New York

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 42-21)

Status: (Passed) 2023-04-10 - ADOPTED [J00650 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J00650-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 650

BY: Senator THOMAS

        OBSERVING and celebrating March 22-April 21, 2023,
        as  Ramadan,  the  month  of  fasting for the Muslim
        community, in the State of New York

  WHEREAS, It is a long and proud tradition of the State of  New  York
to  recognize and applaud customs which foster a spirit of community and
pride as they preserve and enhance the rich cultural heritage and ethnic
diversity of its citizens; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
observe and celebrate March 22-April 21, 2023, as Ramadan, the month  of
fasting for the Muslim community, in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  There  are  an estimated seven million Muslims in America,
along with Islamic places of worship, called mosques, in all 50  states;
and

  WHEREAS,  New  York  State  has  a relatively high Muslim population
compared to other states; according to  the  Pew  Research  Center,  two
percent of adults in the State identify as Muslim; and

  WHEREAS, Ramadan is a special month of the year for over one billion
Muslims  throughout  the  world;  it  is  a  time  for inner reflection,
devotion to God, and self-control; Muslims think of  it  as  a  kind  of
tune-up for their spiritual lives; and

  WHEREAS, There are as many meanings of Ramadan as there are Muslims;
the  third  "pillar" or religious obligation of Islam, fasting, has many
special benefits; among these, the most important is that it is a  means
of learning self-control; and

  WHEREAS,  Due  to the lack of preoccupation with the satisfaction of
bodily appetites during the daylight hours  of  fasting,  a  measure  of
ascendancy  is given to one's spiritual nature, which becomes a means of
coming closer to God; and

  WHEREAS, Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the
Qur'an, giving charity, purifying one's behavior, and doing good  deeds;
as  a  secondary  goal,  fasting  is  a  way  of experiencing hunger and
developing sympathy for the less fortunate,  and  learning  thankfulness
and appreciation for all of God's bounties; and

  WHEREAS,  Fasting  is  also  beneficial to the health and provides a
break in the cycle of rigid habits or  overindulgence;  while  voluntary
fasting  is  recommended  for  Muslims,  during  Ramadan fasting becomes
obligatory; sick people, travelers, and women in certain conditions  are
exempted from the fast but must make it up as they are able; and

  WHEREAS,  Perhaps fasting in Ramadan is the most widely practiced of
all the Muslim forms of worship; Ramadan  is  the  ninth  month  of  the
Islamic  calendar; the much-anticipated start of the month is based on a
combination  of  physical  sightings  of  the  moon   and   astronomical

calculations;  the  practice  varies  from  place  to place, some places
relying heavily on sighting reports and others totally on  calculations;
and

  WHEREAS,  In the United States, most communities follow the decision
of  the  Islamic  Society  of  North  America,  which  accepts  bonafide
sightings  of the new moon anywhere in the United States as the start of
the new month; the end of  the  month,  marked  by  the  celebration  of
'Eid-al-Fitr, is similarly determined; and

  WHEREAS,  The daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn
and ends at the setting of the sun; in between -- that  is,  during  the
daylight hours -- Muslims totally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and
marital  sex;  the  usual  practice  is to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor)
before dawn and a post-fast meal (iftar) after sunset; and

  WHEREAS, The last 10 days of Ramadan are a time of special spiritual
power as everyone tries to come closer to God through devotions and good
deeds; the night on which the first verses of the Qur'an  were  revealed
to  the  Prophet,  known  as  the  Night  of  Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), is
generally taken to be the 27th night of the  month;  the  Qur'an  states
that this night is better than a thousand months, therefore many Muslims
spend the entire night in prayer; and

  WHEREAS, During the month, Muslims try to read as much of the Qur'an
as  they  can; most try to read the whole book at least once; some spend
part of their day listening to the recitation of the Qur'an in a mosque;
and

  WHEREAS, At the completion of the obligation  of  fasting  known  as
'Eid-al-Fitr  festival, Muslims use many phrases in various languages to
congratulate one another by saying "'Eid mubarak (A  Blessed  'Eid)"  --
universal; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
observe and celebrate March 22-April 21, 2023, as Ramadan, the month  of
fasting  for  the  Muslim community, in the State of New York; and be it
further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to the Muslim community of the State of New York.