Millions massacred for a ‘joyful’ celebration
Imagine picking up the morning newspaper and reading the headline, “One hundred million massacred”.
I imagine you’d be horrified. But this is no fictitious scenario. This massacre actually occurred on Tuesday. But, don’t look for headlines. There won’t be any. There never are, because the victims of Tuesday’s massacre were camels, goats, sheep and cattle.
The annual Islamic Festival of Sacrifice – or Eid – is portrayed by Muslims as a “joyful” celebration, but it is actually a festival of monstrous cruelty. I have just looked at a video, taken in 2017, showing a bull being “sacrificed”. After being dragged into a tiled area, his back legs and front legs were tightly bound together causing him to fall heavily to the floor.
Then all four legs were tightly bound together. Men laughed and took photos on their mobile phones as his throat was slowly cut open.
As the terrified and suffering bull vocalised, heaved and struggled the men leaned on him and a river of blood surrounded him. It was not a quick death.
Animal sacrifice was formerly a big part of the Hindu Gadhimai festival, but in 2014 the compassionate decision was made to end animal sacrifice. It’s high time Muslims did the same and relegated this brutal and archaic ritual – that inflicts so much suffering on innocent animals – to the Dark Ages.
Jenny Moxham
Victoria, Australia
