As I was growing up I went to the farm house every Eid-Al-Adha to make sacrifices of cows, goats, lambs, etc.  This is a religious obligation that every muslim person has to perform. Growing up to this practice it became a norm for me. But for these past couple of years, I’ve come to the realization that this practice is not performed properly most of the time.

The proper way for the animal is to be slaughtered in the least painful way possible. The jugular vein must be cut swiftly with a sharp knife to avoid the animal from feeling any pain. The blood must be drained completely for hygienic purposes. The animal should be calm and as relaxed as possible. Unfortunately, many of the sacrifices done during Eid-Al-Adha do not follow this procedure. The animals are dragged out of their herds and are slaughtered in front of other animals, causing them stress and anxiety. Many of the workers at the slaughter house/farm cut hundreds and hundreds of animals in a day during this special day. I have seen that many times the stress and the physical load of the work gets to the butchers and they stop following these steps to cut the animal properly. What pisses me off even more is when I see parents allowing their children to cut the animals. Children as young as 15, who do not know the procedure and are not as confident, are permitted to cut the animal. Many times when they are cutting the animal they will stop in the middle and look up to smile for a picture, while the animal is still alive. This disappoints me because the most important thing about this practice is to follow the procedure. I am hoping that in the future, parents and young adults, will start to realize that the animal should not feel pain or anxiety. This procedure should be done quickly and as painlessly as possible. It shouldn’t serve as a source of entertainment. Causing the animal pain for an extended time will cause mental and physical stress, not only to the animal, but also to other people who actually follow the procedure.