Islamic law is crystal clear that in order for meat to be halal, animals can’t be mutilated, deformed or diseased nor experience discomfort or stress prior to slaughter. Any meat that doesn’t abide by these precepts becomes haram.

Can animals used in the live-export trade, who endure long transport in immeasurably cruel conditions (like by ship from Australia) be considered halal?

The Middle East live-imports most of its sheep from Australia, with tens of thousands of animals crammed onto huge ships each month, constrained in abominable conditions.  Half of all sheep deaths during sea transport are caused by starvation as grass-fed animals don’t recognize the manufactured feed provided on ship, and stop eating. Crammed shipboard conditions raise dehydration levels and promote disease.

Spend some time with the halal ranchers oxymoronically named Mercy Slaughter to get a view of how halal sacrifice ought to be done:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc5BWafzEu4[/youtube]

Qurbani is essential for people with financial means, yet none of my Amman Jordanian friends has ever personally killed an animal.  They’ve witnessed the ceremony as children, but never did the deed. Instead, most urbanites drop some dinar with butchers in exchange for a neatly packed parcel of meat and an assurance that the rest is handed to the needy.

Organizations such as Tkiyet Um Ali are also emerging, offering value (thanks to bulk buying) and organized distribution to the poor. An important side benefit of community-centric sacrifice-sharing is mitigation of problems related to improperly executed halal practices and poor waste management, since animals are slaughtered in Australia and meat shipped frozen to the Middle East.

This modernity is further distancing Muslims from animal slaughter. (Islamic vegetarians must participate in the practice: obligated to pay for an animal sacrifice, and distribute the meat to the needy, but they do not need to consume the food themselves.)

In his book Animals in Islam, Al-Hafiz B. A. Masri quotes Sheik Fardi Wagdi, “There may come a day when Muslims shall have to substitute the rite of animal sacrifice with other methods of giving alms.”

There is a growing movement of Muslims who have declared a fatwa on animal killings, who consider that sacrifice is not obligatory. They call to reform animal transport processes and advocate (in lieu of meat offerings) other means of support for the poor, including the sharing of vegetarian food, and pursuit of public services like educational support of the care of orphans.

“It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him.” (Qu’ran 22:37)

Image of sacrificial animal from Shutterstock

The post Eco and Halal the Islamic Rite of Animal Sacrifice Qurbani appeared first on Green Prophet.

Eid Al Adha, also called Big Eid and the Feast of the Sacrifice, is an important Islamic holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honor the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his first-born son as an act of submission to God’s command.

Everyone knows the story: God jumped in with a last-minute substitution and a hapless ram took the hit for young Ishmael (it was Abraham and his son Isaac for the Jews), who went on to enjoy a long life writ large in the Qur’an and the Torah and the Bible.

It’s my third year in Jordan and I’m starting to think like a Bedouin, relying less on clocks and calendars and more on senses and sight. So, formal proclamations aside, how do I know Big Eid’s a-coming?

Fluffy herds of sheep and goats flanking the airport highway are the first giveaway. In capitol city Amman, urban shepherds lead animals to every patch of green chasing last-minute fatten-up opportunities.

Flocks swell in gypsy compounds.

Cartoon rams appear on billboards, promoting Tkiyet Um Ali, the Jordanian NGO that provides, among other services, holiday meat to the kingdom’s underprivileged.  The message is clear – it’s the Feast of the Sacrifice, four-legged food products beware!

(Read here about Green Prophet’s journey to an Eid sacrifice in Jaffa, Israel)

Animal sacrifice is at the core of Big Eid festivities, with some estimates projecting that as many as 100 million animals will be slaughtered over two days.  For context, over 45 million turkeys are killed for America’s Thanksgiving feast. Secular meat eaters wreak comparable animal havoc.

The festival of Eid Al Adha also marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Green Prophet will cover the end of all those animals in another story.

Image of sheep readied for slaughter from Shutterstock

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Public places and picnic spots received focused attention by 3,000 waste workers on duty across the Emirates for the holiday: waste generation skyrockets during Eid. Eid al-Adha, also called Big Eid, is an important 3-day Islamic holiday that occurs in the last month of the lunar Islamic calendar, after the start of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.  The holy days, or days of remembrance, recall the willingness of Ibrahim to obey God by sacrificing his son, Ismail. God of course intervened, and a sheep was sacrificed instead of the boy (read here about one Green Prophet writer who got close to Eid meat).

Animal sacrifice remains a primary ritual of Big Eid: a sheep (or goat, cow, or camel depending regional preference) of acceptable age and quality is slaughtered and its meat divided into three parts. One third is given to friends; one third offered to the poor; and one third retained by the family.  The practice demonstrates charitable practices that are core to Islam: families may also contribute to charities that will provide meat to the needy.

Over the holiday, more than 100 million animals are slaughtered worldwide.

Although special stockyards arise to serve holiday demand, many families choose to perform the ritual slaughter outside their homes. “We expect more animal waste after animal sacrifice, which should be disposed of immediately to avoid stinking and an action plan is in place to deal with it,” said Dr. Salem Al Kaabi, deputy general manager of the Center of Waste Management, according to Gulf News in an interview before the holidays, now over.

Slaughtering animals outside designated slaughterhouses is illegal, and those caught violating the law will be slapped with hefty fines.

The ritual also involves eating, very social eating, with friends and family who travel home specifically for the holiday which ocured over the weekend.  Picnic spots across the emirate generated more mess. Al Kaabi said the highest number of workers (1,400) were to be deployed in Al Ain; Abu Dhabi Island was to have been covered by 800 workers; and Abu Dhabi city, the Western Region, Mussaffah industrial and residential areas,  and Yas Island, by hundreds more.

“People will be camping at popular destinations such as Jabal Al Hafeet in Al Ain.  The waste discarded by the visitors will be immediately removed by the workers and vehicles on duty,” Al Kaabi said.

The workers were to tidy public places throughout daylight hours and into the evenings until 2 AM.

Al Kaabi asked picnickers to keep their party sites clean during the holidays. “Everyone should dispose of the waste in rubbish bins placed in parks and public places.”

The action plan aimed to clean and clear key attractions including Eid Musalla (open air prayer place), public parks and the manicured beachfront Corniche.  The workers also performed a massive evening sweep of roads, parks, and markets, cleaning public toilets and removing graffiti.

The Center of Waste Management said these efforts will enhance Abu Dhabi’s status as a premier international destination for tourism and leisure.

Image of family picnic by Shutterstock

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