Bill Text: VA SR159 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Muhammad Mosque No. 57.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-08 - Bill text as passed Senate (SR159ER) [SR159 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SR159-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Muhammad Mosque No. 57 provides opportunities for worship, fellowship, and spiritual growth to members of the Norfolk community; and
WHEREAS, Muhammad Mosque No. 57 is also an active participant in events to commemorate the Holy Day of Atonement; and
WHEREAS, on October 16, 1995, hundreds of Black residents of Norfolk and Hampton Roads joined together and traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the Million Man March, organized to protest the violence affecting Black youths and the Black community; and
WHEREAS, as part of the event, participants sought atonement from God and reconciliation with those they may have wronged by mending family and community divisions and taking responsibility for actions that had sowed discord, pain, and hurt among us; and
WHEREAS, what is now celebrated as the Holy Day of Atonement marked the start of the healing process, where the community grew together as a whole; at the event, men solemnly pledged to become better fathers, better men, builders of communities and a better world, and to respect and protect women and children, all while committing to nonviolence, except in self-defense; and
WHEREAS, mass voter registration took place, leading to an additional 1.7 million Black men participating in the 1996 national elections, where they significantly impacted the outcome, according to studies; and
WHEREAS, the members of Muhammad Mosque No. 57 commemorate the Holy Day of Atonement as a time to rededicate themselves to the important core values of nonviolence and community growth; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Muhammad Mosque No. 57 hereby be commended on the occasion of the anniversary of the Holy Day of Atonement for its service to the residents of Norfolk; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Muhammad Mosque No. 57 as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the mosque's contributions to the community.
