While we’re all eating Turkey today and watching the football games (I’m sure the Detroit Lions will get smoked), let’s remember the true importance of today, which is an American national vacation day.
Today is truly a holiday (holy-day) in the sense that it is the 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the Day of `Arafat, in which Prophet Muhammad (SAAS) said it is the best day of supplication. Some commentators say that this day i symbolic of when Adam (AS) recognized (`a – ra – fa) Eve (AS) after their separation in paradise. The first pilgrimage was in fact the pilgrimage of Adam (AS).
The Day of `Arafat is the day of recognizing our human worth (masculine and feminine characteristics) and the recognition of the equality of the human soul under G’d.
Which brings me to this day being a day of mourning for Native Americans. As we Americans overeat and enjoy our families, most of us will get lost in the national myth of Thanksgiving.
The fact of the matter is that the settlers who were welcomed with hospitality by the Natives shortly after arrival committed genocide and ethnic cleansing on the original inhabitants.
The first “Day of Thanksgiving” declared by the MA Bay Colony governor was a celebration of the slaughter of 700 men, women, and children of the Pequot tribe in 1637 during their annual Green Corn Festival. This initial massacre led the way for hundreds of massacres to come, Natives being subjugated (even made to be slaves for a period of time), and bamboozled through broken treaties primarily signed by Uncle Tom Natives who didn’t truly represent their people.
During this day of supplication, pray for the repair of the Native Americans and that we can tell history how it really is instead of re-telling myths.
3 Comments
I agree, we must prefer the truth over the myth. Even though the perpetrators of this crime may detest it.
Yes Indeed.
Do you mind if I copy this on my blog??
Thanks for that refresher course in history. For telling the truth and breaking the myth told in our school history books for generations. Yes, the settlers made phony peace with their guests, only to send them on a trail of tears in which they wiped them out by genocide and by removing them from their rightful owneship of this land. Funny how they portray “Thanksgiving” as giving themselves the appearnance of “peacemakers” — then and now.