Letters to the Editor | Feb. 28, 2025

Since the Quran is considered the law and guidance for Muslims, and the last holy book that was revealed according to the Abrahamic faiths, its coming is commemorated with a month of fasting, recitation, and prayers. This is Ramadan. To obtain the full benefit of Ramadan, one must move beyond the obvious traditions. In addition to abstaining from food, emphasis is placed on praying day and night, reading the Quran with meaning, reciting prayers, helping those keeping their fasts if one is not able to do so, and giving to the needy. Obtaining control over one’s vices, particularly anger, is also very important.

The month is divided into three parts — or ashras — which help people focus on specific aspects and types of prayers. The third part is considered the most sacred, when isolation and intense praying are initiated. The hope is that one will be able to experience Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Decree. What is known is that it occurs on the odd nights during the last 10 days, and it entails forgiveness, blessings, and acceptance of prayers for the whole year, and even possibly for the whole of the person’s previous life. You can say the culmination of one’s entire Ramadan effort can be attributed to what one sees or experiences on that night, for it can be glad tidings or foreboding.

As the month of Ramadan ends, the new crescent moon ushers in the beginning of a new Islamic month. With the advent of the new month, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for three days by offering congregational prayer at the mosque, wearing new clothes, meeting relatives, and arranging gifts and fun activities for children.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Philadelphia

I agree with columnist Solomon Jones, the amount of hatred and lies that come out of the president’s mouth is unacceptable for anyone, let alone the person who is supposed to represent this country’s morals. Despite this, while Donald Trump’s actions have targeted minority groups, his and Elon Musk’s reckless gutting of the government has also cost the jobs, privacy, and security of his supporters. As a result, his approval ratings have dropped to 45%. Jones writes that Trump voters continue to look away from what is happening because they do not think it will affect them, but it continually does. This concerns me because it is difficult to tell how much people pay attention to the reality of the world. As much as I would want to avoid it, the best option might be to just survive and let them realize the consequences of their choices and actions.

Val Kurtz, Philadelphia

A Super Bowl victory should not inspire destruction and vandalism like that experienced by the Arch Street United Methodist Church after the Eagles victory on Feb. 9. The church is about to begin a multimillion-dollar restoration project, and the protective fencing and sidewalk protection were vandalized. The sidewalk was rendered impassable and dangerous, and the marble building was graffitied. There are videos and Facebook posts showing people climbing the scaffolding. I have been the pastor of the church for 21 years and have witnessed dozens of marches, protests, and parades, and by far the most destructive and demoralizing have been sports fans flooding the streets of Center City.

How is it that a mostly white crowd of Eagles fans can get away with such destruction and disruption when those advocating for racial justice are tear-gassed? Where were the police when the church was under siege after the game, and why wasn’t Eagles leadership out in front of the Super Bowl outcome encouraging restraint? Instead of celebrating an Eagles win, I am cleaning up the mess and dealing with the disruption to the church’s service to our most vulnerable neighbors: those experiencing homelessness. I am calling out the fake fans, police, the city, and the leadership of the Eagles to take responsibility for the negative and costly impact on the church’s community-serving ministry. I demand accountability.

The Rev. Robin M. Hynicka, Arch Street United Methodist Church

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is to be commended for courageously speaking out in support of Ukraine, its valiant citizens, and President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is among an embarrassingly small number of congressional Republicans refusing to cower under pressure from both the Republican Party and Donald Trump. Fitzpatrick’s convictions that Vladimir Putin started the criminal war and must not be rewarded are rooted in his service as an FBI agent stationed in Ukraine, and his credibility is supported by his roles as chair of the House Intelligence CIA subcommittee and cochair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.

The congressman has visited Ukraine and its leaders on several occasions during the brutal and senseless war. He knows payment for America’s support of Ukraine should come from Russia, not from Ukraine. I have been fortunate enough to meet Fitzpatrick at a small event, and I am convinced he is conscientious, intelligent, and trying to do the right thing for his constituents. I thank him for his continued support of Ukraine, and for following his conscience for all our sakes as well as for Ukraine.

Andrea Fellerman Kesack, Maple Glen

On May 28, 1951, a young woman was working the night shift on a line at Standard Pressed Steel in Jenkintown, helping to support a young family. At around eight, she told a coworker she wasn’t feeling well and went to the ladies’ room to lie down. When she didn’t return, the coworker went to check on her and found she had died. That young woman was our mother, Molly Plunkett Herrmann. She was 41. She was pronounced dead at Abington Hospital. A later autopsy revealed an undetected heart condition.

Our father, Al Herrmann, was called at home to come to the hospital immediately. We didn’t own a car so our neighbor, Frank Harkins, drove him. Dad returned home, where five kids and a father-in-law waited anxiously, assuming he would be back with Mom. Instead, he walked in with the news. “Your mother is dead,” he said. I can see it and hear it even 74 years later.

For my 8th birthday, I had been given a watch, most likely purchased at Woolworth’s in Jenkintown. It had a brown leather band. Mom used to borrow it to wear to work. It was returned to me after she died. It contained the oily smell of a factory production line. I treasured that scent because it connected me to her. In the ensuing years, I drove past SPS more times than I can count. Never once did I drive by without wondering exactly where it was in that building my mother died. Watching SPS Technologies go up in flames is more than the end of an era in Jenkintown. It contains thousands of untold stories of workers and families who were supported through work there. The story of Molly Plunkett Herrmann is one of them.

Marguerite H. Sexton, Philadelphia, middlesistermag@gmail.com

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