They Call it a Festival
Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Earth in Transition
October 2015

Most of the sheep are brought to Pakistan, Egypt and other Asian countries via Australia's live-export trade, where millions of living sheep are stuffed onto ships, suffer an excruciating journey across the Indian Ocean, and are then left in the sun until it's time for them to play their part in this religious ceremony.

sacrificial sheep

In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, last week, it took more than 3,000 sanitary workers and 200 trucks to clean up 7,000 tons of entrails and other "waste" materials in the wake of the "sacrifice" of sheep during the Festival of Eid al-Adha. And that's just one city.

The festival celebrates the Bible story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. (When God stays Abraham's hand at the last moment, the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam kills a ram instead.)

Most of the sheep are brought to Pakistan, Egypt and other Asian countries via Australia's live-export trade, where millions of living sheep are stuffed onto ships, suffer an excruciating journey across the Indian Ocean, and are then left in the sun until it's time for them to play their part in this religious ceremony.


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