I just spoke with Kristin Siebeneicher, the public relations manager for Six Flags/Great Adventure, and she tells me that the “Muslims-Only Day” that has gotten some attention here and at WND is not actually that at all: non-Muslims will be allowed to buy tickets if they choose to do so.
But this wasn’t always the case, at least in the mind of the Islamic Circle of North America. The event in question is the “Great Muslim Adventure Day,” scheduled for this Friday, September 17. The ICNA originally stated on its website that “Alhamdulillah, the entire park is reserved for Muslims only!” But according to Siebeneicher, “Six Flags prevailed upon the ICNA to change that notice.” And sure enough, now the ICNA website has been amended to say: “Alhamdulillah, the entire park is reserved for this event!”
Siebeneicher says that for thirty years, the park has been available for reservation groups on days when it would otherwise be closed. Jewish and Christian groups have reserved it, as well as political groups and others. But even these private events have always been open to anyone who wanted to buy a ticket, and the upcoming Muslim event — at least now — is no different.
I hope the publicity generated by this site and others played a role in Six Flags’s getting the ICNA to change the notice on their site. We don’t need a new Jim Crow era, and I applaud Six Flags for noticing and caring enough to make sure that no such event would be held on their grounds.