Solomonia Archive: Muslims Only Day at Six Flags?

Monday, August 14, 2006

This issue has come up before...the Islamic Circle of North America has booked Six Flags, New Jersey for an entire day: The Great Muslim Adventure Day.

In 2004, and again in 2005, this event created a bit of a stir -- was it a "Muslims only" day, or just a day for Muslims with non-Muslims able to attend if they chose to? You can trace the controversy through Daniel Pipes' blog entries. Also, here is Robert Spencer's post from two years ago.

It appears that once again, history is repeating, and the group is advertising the event as though it is a Muslims Only day, when I suspect that anyone who decides to show up will be sold a ticket as in years previous.

The web site advertises, "Entire Site, Entire Day!"

Interestingly, here's a snip from the web site:

Insha Allah, on September 15, 2005, the New Jersey theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure, is set to be transformed as 'The Great Muslim Adventure Day', an event organized by ICNA. This event is designed to provide Islamic entertainment for the entire family! This multi-ethnic event will bring Muslims together in fun environment and we will be able to teach our kids while they enjoy their day in the park.

but here's how the email sent out on the Muslim American Society email list puts it:

Insha Allah, on September 15, 2006, the New Jersey theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure, is set to be transformed as 'The Great Muslim Adventure Day', an event organized by ICNA. This event is designed to provide entertainment for the entire family! Alhamdulillah, the entire park is reserved for Muslims!

Entire Park!
Entire Day!

Now, I don't have any issue with any religious group having a day at the park, and the dedication of the event is laudable:

This event was first held at Six Flags Great Adventure in September 2000. The event was immediately a huge success. The tragic events of 9/11 that resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives, also affected this event directly. The chief organizer, Tariq Amanullah, who worked on the 96th floor of WTC, Tower 2, passed away. The team was unable to come together again till year 2004, when the event came back bigger than ever before. The organizing team has dedicated this event to Tariq Amanullah. We pray for all victims and their families.

If this were truly a Muslims only day (or a Christians only, or Jews only), that would bring up other issues, however. I'm willing to bet that, as in years past, it's not, but it's a little odd that the organizers are trying so hard to give that impression, especially given prior controversies.

Speakers haven't been announced yet, by the way. That should be interesting.

Posted by Solomon at 10:43 PM on Monday, Aug 14, 2006 | Comments (8)
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8 Comments

#1 Ron Newman | August 14, 2006 10:54 PM

Is this organization renting out the entire park for the day and closing it to the public? That would be expensive, but then they could legally limit attendance as they pleased.

#2 Solomon | August 14, 2006 11:18 PM

It appears that Six Flags does not go for that and asked them in the past to correct that implication on their web page. They seem to have kept it in their emails, however. I'm also sure they (ICNA) don't mind the publicity a little controversy brings.

#3 Russell Gold | August 15, 2006 12:10 AM

You may be making more of this than is necessary. Is the date during the regular season of the park? If so, then it is not really a Muslim-only day, but rather a day when many Muslims would come to the park. I have participated in a similar event at a Six Flags when many Orthodox Jews came on one of the intermediate days of Passover. On the other hand, since Hershey Park is generally closed during Succos, the local Orthodox Jewish community makes special arrangements to use the park and sells tickets via synagogues in the surrounding states - that is clearly a private day and the attendees are pretty much all Orthodox Jews. If Muslims are doing either of these, I don't see anything inherently sinister in it.

#4 stephenl | August 15, 2006 10:08 AM

eh, give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't see anything wrong with this.

#5 Wild Thing | August 15, 2006 11:36 AM

looked up the contact number online and called them. The woman told me that it not selling tickets to anyone today. And that to buy a ticket to go to the park a person has to contact the Muslim group having the event. And buy the ticket from them instead of the actual Park.

#6 Ron Newman | August 15, 2006 12:33 PM

According to Six Flags Great Adventure's info page, the park is not open to the public on Friday, September 15 (nor on most other weekdays in September).

So I think a big deal is being made out of nothing.

#7 miss kelly | August 15, 2006 12:48 PM

Oddly enough, a recent Muslim-only day at an amusement park in England was cancelled due to poor ticket sales:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/staffordshire/5238262.stm

As Sol says, let's see who the guest speakers are.

#8 emily | August 31, 2006 5:26 PM

hi every body i dont find any thing worng with it i know alot of religion that do that like hindus and jews and christinas too i dont think it wrong it just an event and non muslims are alowded