December 28, 2006

My earliest memories of Eid ul Azha go back to the time when a sheep was available for Rs22. In those days sheep were the preferred sacrificial animal and people turned up their noses at the mention of goats as they were believed to have hair that stuck to the meat and made it unpalatable.

Children waited months to be able to touch and look after an animal. The sheep were given names and emotional outbursts were seen on the day of their sacrifice. That was a long time ago. Today the food for the animal costs more than the amount paid for it in those days. Gone are the days when feeding and taking care was part of the celebrations. Many other changes have also taken place.

Life has become very fast, and with the population explosion some people voice valid hygiene concerns, given the amount of animals sacrificed on this day. Generally, citizens do not bother cleaning up the mess after the sacrifice has taken place.

Some people have opted for a collective system sponsored by some charities, so that they do not have to bring the animal home. They leave it to the charities to sacrifice and distribute the meat on their behalf. This gives them relief in terms of the effort required on Eid day to find a butcher and then ensure that their area is cleaned promptly by the concerned departments.

Many overseas Pakistanis also enjoy this facility. The latest addition to modern day observance of this injunction is the creation of websites by some charities where one can select the animal and make the payment online. The animal is sacrificed and the meat is either delivered to the address of choice or simply distributed among the poor. The heartening thing is that religious scholars have declared this system acceptable.

In western countries observing Eid ul Azha is an entirely different ball game. No one can bring an animal home for sacrifice as the whole neighbourhood would be up in arms, inviting police intervention. The usual practice is to go to a farm. Some years back, I celebrated Eid ul Azha in Washington DC. My host asked me to accompany him to a farm in the suburbs, for the sacrificial ritual. Goats, sheep and cows were available but one had to catch their own animal, which was difficult given the agility of the animals.

For cows the practice was a little unorthodox. After pointing out the cow the customer would stand back while the farmer brought out his gun. A bullet was shot to bring down the animal, giving the customer only a few seconds to do the needed before the cow expired. The farmer did not have an army of butchers, found in abundance in Pakistan, to wrestle the cow to the ground to perform the precise sacrificial procedures.

The practice of sacrificing animals on Eid ul Azha, apart from its religious significance, is a great social scheme that provides an opportunity to the deprived sections of the society to feast on meat for at least a couple of weeks. Maids and drivers request their portion of sacrificial meat to be put in deep freezers at the houses of their employers and draw on it for some months, keeping their families well fed.

For the rich it provides an occasion to plan barbecue parties and for some to indulge in extreme fanfare such as importing bulls from as far away as Australia for this purpose and putting them on display before the event. This is, of course, against the nature of the event as flaunting wealth in this manner highlights the imbalance in society.

The philosophy of Eid ul Azha is very simple; it’s a sacrifice that tests our resolve and at the same time gives us an opportunity to share with the less privileged people. The practice of raising and selling animals for the occasion and the spin-off in hides has led to the emergence of a lucrative business venture. Nothing is simple any more, not even the sacrifice to commemorate a prophet’s love for God.

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