Eid

11.09.08 Eid...the "Great Goat Sacrifice" (or slaughter). this is a festive time for Muslims. Eid. A time for feasting on mutton. I am in a Muslim neighborhood. The owner of the hotel and the majority of the shops here are Muslim. There is a mosque less than five hundred meters away from here and I hear the call to pray everyday beginning at five a.m. My hotel is four floors, my room is on the third, the building next door is two floors, it is on their rooftop, twenty feet away from my balcony that they have been accumulating goats for the past week. One, two, four, six and finally eight goats. Beautifully colored goats, tan and black, white, only males,. Often they get out of their pen and wander into the restaurant that is on the same rooftop and separated only by a bamboo wicker fence and gate to nibble on the plants, there are none on their side. Often I have to herd one or two back into their pen. Nice curious good looking animals. They look at me with curiosity as well. The owners of the restaurant are Muslim too, but the workers are all Hindu. I am a Dead Head and we all co-exist is harmony. I do however have a nice alter for Krsna in my room and bring fresh flowers and burn incense everyday. The workers who bring buckets of hot water to my room everyday for my shower appreciate this and have taken a liking to me. Plus, after three weeks I am the longest staying guest.

 

This morning my friend Mahesh comes to my room while I am doing yoga and says, "Huck, come look". As I am almost finished and only have to walk a few steps I say o.k. Not really wanting to, but for cultural reasons think I may as ell have a peek. There on the adjoining rooftop are gathered about twelve people, including babies in their fathers arms. On the ground is a goat with it's throat cut. A pool of blood and the goat is still twitching. I looked only for a split second but it was long enough to feel repulsed. In the end three goats had been killed (slaughtered or sacrificed). two lay on the ground in a big pool of blood and the other was strung up being butchered. It was a disturbing sight.

 

Why do they do this? I heard one story (from a Hindu) that once there was a kingdom that hadn't got any rain for so long the people were starving. The king was offering puja everyday to Allah praying for rain. Then Allah said to this king, "go fetch the most valuable thing in your kingdom and sacrifice it to me". The king searched and searched and the thing that was the most precious to the King was his only son. As the King was preparing to sacrifice his son, the all merciful Allah stopped him and said,  "Stop, I see how true your devotion is. Now the Rain will come.

 

Another story goes like this...."Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son" Abe says,    "Man, you must be puttin' me on". God say, "No." Abe say, "What ?" God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but the next time you see me comin' you better run".Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done ?" God says. "Out on Highway 61".

What  ever the story, the sight of the goat, twitching on the paved roof, blood gushing out it's throat is probably a sight that will haunt me for some time.

 

I am no scholar on Islam, but Eid is one of their biggest celebrations, but I am just wondering where in their holy book it says to slaughter a goat (or camel or buffalo or in some cases a horse) in the name of Allah. For this millions of goats die a violent death on this day. The Christians might not have a problem with this as their doctrine declares that "God gave us dominion over the animals". This is one of the primary reason I am not drawn to either of these religions.

 

Now, one might say it is just as cruel to hook a fish and leave it to die on the  deck of a boat gasping for air. I don't refute this. And for many years I have abstained from eating fish. When I dive with them in the ocean, these multi colored psychedelic looking creatures, the last thing I want to do shoot them with a spear. On some level this is an act of violence. Slicing a goats throat and letting it bleed slowly to death certainly is. This is why many times in my life, when people enquire as to what religion I am, I say Vegetarian. I am  not a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew or Buddhist. I am attracted to some aspects of each of these 'religions', but there is a part of me that feels that killing is just not right. That somehow or another, just maybe, there is a link between the killing of innocent animals and the killing of each other... and that poignant song of old comes to mind.......

   "Yes 'n how many deaths will it take till we know,,,,, that too many people have died...."