Showing posts with label Eid al-Adha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eid al-Adha. Show all posts

Thursday, January 12, 2023

New Michigan City Ordinance Permits Animal Sacrifice

 As reported by the Detroit Free Press, the Hamtramck, Michigan City Council on Tuesday by a vote of 3-2 voted to amend the city's Animal Ordinance to permit animal sacrifices on residential property. The new Ordinance (full text) provides in part:

Any person wishing to conduct an animal sacrifice for religious purposes must notify the City by reporting such intention to the Clerk’s Office at least one week prior to the date of animal sacrifice;

(1) Such person shall provide the exact date and time of animal sacrifice to the City and shall schedule a time for the City to conduct post sacrifice inspection of the site to ensure, in the opinion of the inspector, that the area was properly cleaned and sanitized after the sacrifice was concluded.

(2) Such person shall pay the City a fee, as set by city council annually, for the sanitation inspection. Such fee shall be paid at the time when such person informs the City of the sacrifice as required above.

(B) Any and all actions necessary to restrict the act of sacrifice from public viewing must be taken without exception. The public, for the purposes of this subsection, shall be defined as any individual who has not formally indicated their intention to view the animal sacrifice.

Hamtramck has a large Muslim population and all members of City Council are Muslim.  Some Muslims sacrifice animals for Eid al-Adha.

Monday, July 11, 2022

Biden's Send Greetings To Those Celebrating Eid al-Adha

Yesterday the Muslim world celebrated Eid al-Adha. Yesterday the White House issued a Statement (full text) from the President sending greetings from himself and Jill Biden to all of those celebrating the festival.  The Statement says in part:

The Eid traditions and Hajj rituals that commemorate the devotion of Abraham and his son to God are an opportunity for Muslims to renew their faith, and a reminder of the common roots of the world’s great Abrahamic religions. And the act of sharing the sacrifice with those less fortunate in service of God mirrors our common commitment to work together to meet the challenges of our world today.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Bidens Send Eid Greetings

Today is Eid al-Adha. Yesterday President and Mrs. Biden issued a statement (full text) sending greetings to those celebrating the holiday. The statement reads in part:

The Hajj, which convenes people from all walks of life and from every corner of the globe, is also a reminder of Islam’s commitment to equality and the shared roots of the world’s Abrahamic faiths. The United States is committed to working with the international community to emerge stronger from the pandemic, and thousands of Muslim Americans are among those eager to perform the pilgrimage next year, God willing.

Friday, December 01, 2017

European Court Advocate General Opines On Eid al-Adha Slaughterhouses

In Moskeeën v. Gewest, (ECJ Adv. Gen., Nov. 30, 2017), the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice concluded in his recommendation to the court that Belgian authorities had not infringed the religious freedom of Muslims by ending the practice of creating temporary slaughterhouses to be used for Eid al-Adha.  His opinion reads in part:
90.      Inasmuch as it cannot, in my opinion, be held that any limitation of freedom of religion results from the general obligation to use approved slaughterhouses, the question of whether such a limitation is justified does not arise.
91.      Nevertheless, in the event that the Court of Justice does not support that conclusion and considers that the obligation to use approved slaughterhouses, which alone is being challenged in this case, constitutes an interference with freedom of religion in that it prevents practising Muslims from fulfilling their religious obligation during the Feast of the Sacrifice, I am of the opinion that there would then be no legitimate objective in the public interest such as might justify the existence of a limitation of that freedom.
The Court issued a press release summarizing the Opinion.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Italian Court Overturns Convictions For Eid al-Adha Sacrifice

An Italian appeals court last week overturned the animal cruelty conviction of two Romanian travelers who had been fined by a lower court for the public slaughter of a young goat to mark the Muslim festival Eid  al-Adah (the Feast of the Sacrifice). The Local yesterday reported on the decision by the appellate court in Genoa:
In overturning the conviction, judge Mauro Amisano wrote that animal cruelty charges “presume the lack of any valid motive which renders the cruelty abject and futile.”
Amisano added that the sacrifice had a valid motive as it was part of a religious festival and had been carried out according to longstanding tradition.
“As part of a religious practice, one can assume the men did not expose the animal to any additional suffering,” he added.
“It cannot be considered illegal because it is a practice which is permitted by the freedom of religious expression.”