When she was growing up, Asma Gull Hasan used to see advertisements, literature and stamps of all the holidays-except hers. Which led her to think that people did not like Islam or Muslims. But, when a 34 cent-Eid stamp was commemorated on September 1, she knew that wasn't true.

"When I first heard about the stamp coming out, I was very happy," says the 27-year-old New York resident whose book American Muslims: The New Generation has sold out since September 11. "I knew my young cousins would know what I didn't-that Americans value our diversity."

Gull, whose parents come from Pakistan, has now asked all her friends to buy her the stamps instead of birthday or holiday gifts. "I want more than anything for this stamp to succeed. It was a long time coming," she says.

In fact, American Muslims have spent over a decade planning the event and the past five years lobbying with the Congress and working with the United States Postal Service (USPS). Then after 5,000 children wrote letters with drawings, American Muslim groups finally achieved their aim of having a postage stamp commemorating Eid.

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The stamp, which features gold calligraphy on a blue design with the Arabic phrase "Eid Mubarak" and "Eid Greetings" in English, celebrates the two most important Muslim festivals: Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Zuha. It was released with much fanfare at a news conference as the latest addition to the USPS' Holiday Celebrations series, which includes stamps for Kwanzaa, celebrating African culture, and Hanukkah, the Hebrew festival of lights.

But then, 10 days later, Islamic terrorists crashed airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The unfortunate timing subdued the celebrations and Muslim leaders now hope that the symbol of the acceptance of Islam as a mainstream religion in America will not be rejected. In a quiet but determined campaign, they are persuading their community to show their support by buying the stamps so that they become permanent.

BENCHMARK: Eid and other holiday stamps; Gull and her sister on her book cover

Today, 75 million Eid stamps are on sale across the US-more than the usual 55 million for a new design. But postal officials say it is too early to tell how well they are selling. To be made permanent, commemorative stamps need to be reissued three times and are issued at the discretion of a private Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, which reviews over 50,000 suggestions every year.

Among the advocates for the new Eid stamp are New York City-based attorney Colin Stewart and his former NYU Law School classmate Hasan who founded the campaign "Americans for Eid". The goal is for the renewal of the stamp. "The Eid stamp represents a Muslim holiday emphasising family, charity, and community-all of which are traditional American values," says Stewart. "Buying the stamp and ensuring its permanence as a cultural icon is the strongest statement we can make."

The stamp was designed by Mohamed Zakariya, a famous Islamic calligrapher and artist whose work has been shown at the Smithsonian Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "I hope non-Muslims enjoy the stamp and become interested in learning more about Islam," says Zakariya, who worked on the stamp after he was commissioned by the USPS.

American Muslims protested recently when the post office printed a poster advertising holiday stamps that omitted the Eid stamp. Postal officials apologised soon after saying the omission was a mistake and then reprinted the poster with the Eid stamp included.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) believes that the Eid stamp is an important milestone. "For the first time in our nation's history, Islam is being recognised in the community as an American religion through the issuance of the Eid stamp. Muslims form the mainstream of America and are an integral part of the society," says Sabiha Khan, media relations coordinator at CAIR. Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary general of the Islam Society of North America says: "This piece of paper announces to the world that Muslim Americans are completely interwoven into the fabric of America."

-Sonia Chopra