Two Muslim music promoters who had hoped to hold an event marking the end of Ramadan at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre have filed a lawsuit claiming that theatre officials discriminated against them.
Basheer Jones and Nardin Jihad, co-founders of Da Akhs Entertainment planned a concert called “EID 2010” to commemorate Eid-al-Fitr, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The date for the planned concert was set for September 11th.
“We were told if you pay the money, you get the venue,” Jones says. It wasn’t until after the venue’s managers received their application and discovered that the two men were Muslim that Mr. Jones says they would not allow the venue booking to go through.
The Fox Theatre denies that accusation and says instead that there was a scheduling conflict. They released a statement that says, “Mr. Jihad and Mr. Jones were not denied a booking at the Fox based on their religious affiliation. At the time he contacted the theater earlier this year, Mr. Jihad was informed that there were two reservations for that date taking priority. Subsequently, all bookings for early September were moved due to major capital improvement projects that have been taking place for the past two weeks. The theatre has been closed to all guests until this work is completed on September 12th.”
Despite the controversy Jones says he and his partner intend to go on with their event, which was designed to inspire young people. “This isn’t about two promoters trying to make money, this is about a movement to inspire the next generation to be the change they wish to see.”
In some ways the fight of these two men is being seen as a civil rights battle. For Jones who is now a Cleveland based radio show host, but who graduated from Atlanta’s Morehouse College, that isn’t a stretch at all given the trajectory his life has already taken.
“Historically we know that Atlanta is the Mecca of civil rights. I graduated from the college that Dr. King went to, I belong to the fraternity that Dr. King belonged to, and my partner was raised here in Atlanta. We are Americans. We were born and bred in America. This is our country and we shouldn’t be denied the right, the opportunity, to celebrate our holiday.
The lawsuit was filed earlier this week in a state court in Atlanta.
“EID 2010” a concert featuring national recording artists Kindred: The Family Soul & Algebra Blessett is now scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 12 at the Cobb Energy Center also in Atlanta.