Belgian Imam Calls for Not Observing Feast Sacrifice in Eid al Adha
After the ban on religious slaughter without stunning the animal by the Ministry of Animal Welfare in Flanders and Wallonia in Belgium, the Muslim community began protesting in various ways for the right to slaughter rams during Eid Al Adha in the halal method.
Khaled Harra, the imam of the Forest Mosque, said in a statement that the Muslim community has other solutions.
Instead of observing the religious practice of slaughtering a ram during the feast, the imam called on Muslims “to either send the same sum of money to those who do not have the means to make their religious sacrifice, or spend that money profitably (i.e. finance projects here in Belgium).”
Commenting on the new rules by the Belgian Ministry of Animal Welfare, the imam considers them discriminatory.
“We pay our taxes! And for farmers who are in crisis, this represents a significant revenue, right?” the imam questioned.
“We feel increasingly stigmatized. Every time, we feel that these laws target Muslims. One can sense a growing Islamophobic climate, “he added.
By not making the sacrifice, the imam hopes to penalize farmers and push the government to react.
Muslims all over the world will observe Eid-al-Adha on September 23 or 24. Also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, the event commemorates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God.
Source: Morocco World News
