Eid ul Adha and animal pollution

All Muslims of the world are observing the Eidul Adha (15/16 October 2013) a great Islamic day of thankfulness and obedience to God.

The background

Eidul Adha is an Islamic special day. All Muslims of the world observe this day every year to remember the sacrificial spirit of one of their holy prophets Hazrat Ibrahim Alaih Salam (AW) who thousands years ago offered his willingness to slaughter his own son and also a prophet himself Hazrat Ismail AW on the name of Almighty God. When he was about to slaughter his own son, God sent a sheep from the sky and replaced it with his son and he slaughtered it with the same spirit as if he is sacrificing his own son on the name of God.
He actually fulfilled an order of God given to him in his dream to sacrifice his dearest thing in the way of God. So this is the actual spirit of the sacrifice in Islam that if there is an order by God you have to sacrifice your dearest thing or being on His name without any ifs and buts.

The tradition

Following this sacrificial spirit Muslims have been sacrificing a Halal (allowed to be sacrificed) animal on the name of God every year. They slaughter a goat, cow, buffalo or camel and make three chunks of its meat; one for family, one for relatives and one for charity. Every year thousands and thousands of animals are sacrificed for this cause in the Muslim world or in the countries where Muslims live in large numbers. This religious ritual of Muslims has been coming on without any deviation in letter and spirit and all Muslims observe this great day on 10^th of Islamic month Dhu al-Hijjah every year. Only those Muslims can sacrifice an animal who can afford to buy the one; otherwise if one can’t afford it is not obligatory upon one to do so.

Environmental aspect of Eidul Adha

On a site devoted to raise the issues regarding environment and its degradation why I am telling you the significance of Eidul Adha. Yap there is an environmental aspect of this great day of Muslims. When Muslims sacrifice an animal and take its meat but its leftover or refuse like intestines and other uneatable stuff is to be disposed off to maintain the cleanliness. So the question is do all Muslims are properly disposing off the refuse of sacrificial animals.  Muslim community is very right that their job is to put such stuff at a designated place in their residential area and the rest of the responsibility of its collection and final disposal is of the concerned civic agency.

Collection of sacrificed animals' refuse

In relatively modern Muslim states like Malaysia and Indonesia their civic agencies are smart enough and collect the refuse and leftover of the slaughtered animals. But in most of the poor Muslim states in Asia and Africa there are no proper arrangements for their disposal. Most of such stuff lies uncollected in streets and on roadsides during this special day when there is holiday and after three days' observance of Eidul Adha such stuff is collected like normal solid waste. Meanwhile communities have to suffer from the smell oozing out from it. Besides, likelihood of the spread of diseases because of the generation of harmful bacteria in slaughtered animals waste also rises manifold and communities suffer from various bacterial diseases.

Final disposal of refuse

Final disposal of such leftover is also another big issue. Most of the less developed Muslim countries don’t have proper landfill sites - the safe area for final disposal of solid waste - and civic agencies of such countries take away such stuff far away from residential areas and burn it openly to get rid of it. However, open burning of all kinds of solid waste including this one is so harmful and creates air pollution that directly come in our breathing zones especially of those living in nearby areas.

Government responsibility

Collectively governments of the Muslim countries or of the countries where Muslims live in large number have to play a proactive role during the days of Eidul Adha and make special arrangements for the collection of such stuff and to carry it to safer places far away from residential areas for their final disposal.

What should Muslims do?

Being an individual every Muslim can play significant role to reduce the pollution generated by sacrificed animals.

• Firstly it is necessary to keep maximum possible eatable stuff of the slaughtered animals which is not harmful for the consumption.
• Secondly the necessary leftover should be thrown at designated places.
• Here also Muslims have to show their spirit of obedience to God Who ordered to maintain cleanliness both individually and collectively. Hence they have to show the world that Islam teaches cleanliness as well.

After this serious note, a very happy Eidul Adha to all Muslims of the world.