Sacrificing begins tomorrow, operators are standing by

Tomorrow is the beginning of Eid ul-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.  As many of you know, the holiday is celebrated by sacrificing an animal, commonly a sheep or ram and sometimes something larger like a bull.  The butchered meat is then divvied up with one-third given to the poor, one-third to neighbors, and one-third kept for one’s own family.

I first experienced the holiday in 2000 when I watched animals being sacrificed in the parking lot of a Carrefour supermarket in Istanbul; it was a very neat and tidy operation that seemed to cater to the middle- and upper-class.  The following year I went with a friend to film the same spectacle on a playground in a much less well-to-do part of the city.  Completely different.  All the action was out in the open.  Blood, guts, and more blood.  Definitely not for the squeamish.

Of course, for the faithful who’d rather skip the bloodshed and/or don’t want to haul home bags of meat to distribute, there are alternatives.  In fact there seems to be quite a bit of competition in the “proxy” sacrifice market — that is, competition among charities who will sacrifice an animal on your behalf, distribute the meat to the poor, and then present you with a notarized certificate confirming the donation.  For example, the Turkish Red Crescent has had quite the campaign featuring Ali Bardakoglu, president of the Diyanet, and even a top stand-up comedian on their website.

I haven’t compared all the charities, but it looks like the whole process can generally be taken care of over the phone or Internet.  At the Red Crescent it’s 240 Turkish Lira ($205) or 130 Euro from overseas.  If you’d been looking for a way to donate red meat to widows and orphans, here’s your chance!

Anyway…a happy holiday to all my Muslim friends!