Xenophobic Email about Muslim Stamp Resurfaces

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A year-old, anti-Muslim email has resurfaced and is curculating once again, riding the latest wave of U.S. anti-Muslim bigotry. The email urges people to boycott a U.S. postage stamp that recognizes the Islamic holiday of Eid. The stamp, which rumor-mongers mistakenly refer to as a "Muslim Christmas Stamp," [7] was first issued about ten years ago, and is one of six seasonal postage stamps [8] the United States Postal Service sells that commemorate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Eid, snowmen and music makers. The email was first sent around [9] a year ago by John Piper, the mayor of Clarksville, Tennessee. In it, Piper urged "all patriotic Americans" to protest a U.S. postage stamp commemorating the Islamic holiday of Eid. Piper accused "Muslim Communist" President Obama [10] of ordering the stamp's creation. The stamp was, in fact, created during the George W. Bush administration [11]. A similar stamp, sort of an Arabic Valentine's Day stamp [12] with hearts and a butterfly on it, is also mentioned in the email. That stamp was created on a Web site called Zazzle, that lets people create their own custom stamps, and is not issued by the USPS. Snopes.com recently updated its page [12] debunking this rumor. The USPS's holiday stamps are available here [8].