Eid El Adha

     Eid el Adha is the Festival of Sacrifice.  It commemorates the end of the Hajj, which is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.  It is just a coincidence that it coincides with American Thanksgiving this year.  The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar so it advances eleven days every year.  This feast of sacrifice commemorates the trials and triumphs of Abraham by God (Allah).   In particular the trail of when God(Allah) asked Abraham to kill his only son.  When preparing to do so, God(Allah) stopped him and told him that his scarifies has already been showed by his wiliness to give up his most dear in the name of God(Allah).  So to honor this event during Eid el Adah, Muslims kill an animal in the name of Allah.  Usually a sheep or goat but sometimes a cow or camel; these animals have started to be brought into the city over the past two weeks and are currently in the streets.  This is not helping with the filth and noise that is already a problem here.  Some families have already purchased their sheep/goat and are keeping them on their apartment balcony until the day of the slaughter. As with other Muslim feasts, they demonstrate their willingness to give up what is dear to them by giving away part of their slaughter.  Only 1/3 of the meat is eaten by immediate family, then 1/3 is shared with friends, and 1/3 is given to the poor.  This also symbolizes the understanding of the need for strong ties between family and friends and the understanding that all blessings come from God(Allah) and we need to open up our heart and homes to share our blessings. 

“Allah has given us power over animals and allowed us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life. Muslims slaughter animals in the same way throughout the year. By saying the name of Allah at the time of slaughter, we are reminded that life is sacred.” (Hula. “Eid el Adha”, About.com)

It’s pretty hard for me to see these animals sometimes.   They do not have animal transport trailers here (although I couldn’t imagine trying to drive in this traffic here with a trail attached!).  So they (some how) load up the sheep, goats, or even cows into the back of pickup trucks.  Then they spend the remaining days of their lives either tied up so tight they can’t move out into traffic, or corralled up in a small pin outside the butcher shops.  The most inhuman aspect of this is that there are often other animal carcasses hanging above their heads.  Some people will pay the butcher to slaughter their animal in their name, but most still like to slaughter them their selves.  They will do it right there in the street or sometimes on their balcony.  The day of the slaughter the street will latterly run red with blood.