We come again to that time of the year when the streets of Egypt are filled with two very contrasting images. On one side, you see youth, freedom and joy – the colorful kites and balloons in the air pushing away the polluting smoke and the eagerly excited little kids dressed in their new Eid outfits. Yet on the other side, there is the gruesome image of death, blood, and animal cruelty. One cannot help but ask: what exactly does Eid Al Adha mean for Muslims? What many seem to forget is that, according to the Islamic faith, the ritual of animal slaughter is not about blood atonement or seeking God through another’s death, but it is about the principle of personal sacrifice of sharing one’s possessions with other human beings and thanking God for these possessions. That is, the ritual itself is not the sacrifice, nor does it have to be the only form of sacrifice. As clearly explained in this verse: ‘It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him’ (22:37). In pre-Islamic Arabia, there were many…
