Okay, so I’m a bit late with my greeting….
The second Islamic New Year to fall in 2008 on the Gregorian calendar (it also fell on the 10th of January) was yesterday the 29th of December although it actually began at sunset on the 28th and the entire New Year month will last for 29 days.   Since Muslims make up a very large percentage of la Francophonie (the French-speaking world) as there are approximately 5 million Muslims living in France, over 150,000 in Switzerland and around 400,000 in Belgium and French is either an official or administrative language along with Arabic and other languages in many countries of Africa, the Carribean and the Middle East, I thought it was fitting to wish all my best to the Islamic world from this blog.
“Al-Hijra” as it’s called in Arabic is celebrated on the first day of the month of Muharram (the first month) on the Islamic calendar.  It marks the beginning of Hijra which occurred in 622CE when the Prophet Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina and created the first real Islamic community with social, political and economic independence.  It is more of a cultural event as it is a time of meditation rather than a huge celebration, but it is acknowledged and honored throughout the Muslim world.  It is a quiet time when Muslims gather in mosques for special prayers and readings and reflect upon the passing of time and their own mortality.  Muharram is one of the four months during which it is forbidden to wage war or fight.  I think it is beautiful and admirable that peace is “officialized” in that way.
The next Islamic New Year will fall on the 18th of December on the Gregorian calendar as the Islamic calendar is lunar rather than solar-based.