Living in a foreign country, particularly one whose culture and society are heavily influenced by Islam, opens up a wealth of new experiences and opportunities like I've never had before. Today was one of those experiences.
Today (9th December, 2008), Eid ul-Azha is celebrated in Pakistan. This religious celebration has a reputation of being a "bloodbath", where animals are slaughtered en-masse. Through various talks I've had with people, the Roof Cafe held at our AIESEC MC/intern apartments and my experiences today, I've come to learn a lot more about the festival.
The act of sacrificing domestic animals (cow, goat, sheep, camel) is meant to replicate Abraham's (Ibrahim in the Quran) sacrifice of Ishmael to God. However, the festival is also about bringing families and communities together, and of charity (zakat – one of the five "pillars" of Islam). For example, the meat from the animals is divided into three parts: 1/3 for the immediate family, 1/3 for relatives and neighbours, 1/3 for the poor. As I was fortunate to witness today (due to the hospitality of an AIESEC member's family here in Karachi), people come and go throughout the day, spending time together and distributing the food.
While the streets do literally run with blood, there's also a strong sense of community, which I appreciate. The strength of my stomach has also been put to the test (and pulled through), and I have a new-found appreciation of the amount of effort it takes to put meat on the table.
There's also a nice feeling, knowing that the people in the shanty town/slum we passed in Gulistan-e-Jauhar probably had their first meal in a while involving meat. I only wish the charity seen on this day continued throughout the year.
I've spared putting the gory photos here, but for more photos (gore alert), have a look at the Facebook album.
Eid Mubarak!
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