To continue the previous post, to be fair, poor people and women are treated pretty badly too. The workers, "maids", and "bearers" are essentially slaves and aren't treated any better than the animals are treated. |
Another Muslim-American here who agrees. |
No! It’s a lamb that is eaten in delicious stews and roasts. As a Muslim, I hate the tradition but I have to admit that it’s delicious! |
Why do they do this ritual sacrifice? I mean, what's the theological basis for it? I know the Greeks and Romans did this in their religious ceremonies, but that was like 2,000 years ago. |
Because God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son to prove his devotion, and when Abraham did it, he found that a goat had been swapped in his son's place, as a reward from God for his devotion and willing to give up his most precious thing, his son, to God. What I don't understand is how buying an animal a short time before Eid and then killing and eating it is a "sacrifice" at all. That animal's death isn't going to be a loss or pain to you, but will instead kick off a huge feast and celebration with family. So why not instead give up something actually meaningful to you to show your devotion to God? Here's a Guardian cover of what Eid can look like: https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/14/rivers-of-blood-dhaka-bangladesh-eid-animal-sacrifices I've seen this in Karachi when it DIDN'T rain and the heads and piles of entrails and hooves were just thrown into the streets to rot in the heat. This is a real health hazard in countries where there is no formal waste disposal system and poor people live crowded into the cities. (Is that the "sacrifice") |
I forgot the link: https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/14/rivers-of-blood-dhaka-bangladesh-eid-animal-sacrifices. |
In the poor Muslim country that I was born in, poor families ate meat just twice a year: during each Eid holiday. In Islam, you are required to share the slaughtered meat with poorer neighbors and family members. I bet many of those kids watching in the video are about to have meat after months of going without. These are not western countries with their huge animal slaughterhouses and daily meat consumption. Many of these Muslim countries are poor and the Eid holiday is the only time of the year that they get to eat meat! |
It's a foreign concept to many Americans, but it's practiced by other groups too. When I lived in Lubavitcher Brooklyn, I remember a city street was closed off every year so truckloads of chickens could be sacrificed. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/nyregion/a-raw-deal-for-chickens-as-jews-atone-for-sins.html Think of it a little like paying tithe, except instead of giving money, you're giving what your ancestors would have valued and given, ie., livestock. |
So it's a symbol, not a sacrifice? Why not do it in the spirit of what your ancestors meant "sacrifice" to mean and give up something you care about or need that will hurt a little bit to lose? (Like Abraham being willing to give up his own son, which is the story that inspires this whole bloody show today). |
People out to Eid there is a 30 days of fasting, which is a personal sacrifice. |
No, that's only the Eid that ends Ramadan. There's the second Eid that starts tomorrow, Tuesday, June 27, and there is no 30 day fast before it. If anything, more people than usual were out at restaurants the day before the June Eid: on Monday evening we were at the mall and it was super crowded with locals, with restaurant seating full. |
|
There is a slaughterhouse in Alexandria City. I think it’s inhumane and just invites issues.
Reenactment isn’t necessary Oh and I am not sure where people get these ideas that conservative muslims are somehow liberals. |
I don't know what meaning of the sacrifice is to Muslims specifically, but I'm sure you could easily google if you had a genuine, open-minded curiosity toward learning about others' traditions. Look, religion is ALL symbols. It's faith and ascribed meaning and ritual and tradition. If a particular practice doesn't resonate with you, just move on. You're never going to "win" an argument about what form of spiritual practice is right or wrong or best. |
It was a rhetorical question. I live in a Muslim country. I've seen the way animals are treated firsthand, and I have seen Eid sacrifice. I have discussed animal welfare issues with many Muslims here. Eid begins on Tuesday evening on June 27. Maybe I should figure out how to upload short video footage, and then you can all tell me that what is being shown is "humane." |
Don’t vote for them |