This article is not about being hateful. I don’t have an issue with religion as long as people don’t use their religion as an excuse to treat others unjustly.
I think it’s about time to realize there is no doubt that non-human animals also fall under that category of others.
These are my views about Eid-al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice and animal sacrifices in general from a logical and rational standpoint.
I understand that Eid-Al-Adha is supposed to be about giving and sharing but why does an innocent animal have to suffer for that, why can’t we give our community, our relatives and the poor foods that don’t require an animal to be killed. Why can’t we give them rice, beans, lentils, fruit and veggies. Why do we have to resort to violence to try to do something good? There are so many other ways of giving and sharing that don’t involve taking away an innocent animal’s life.
What kind of God would create sentient beings that have the will to live and love, the ability to feel pain and sorrow, happiness and sadness, fear and loss only to have them killed? Their bodies are held to the ground, their legs are tied together and their throats are slit. A part of celebration? A part of a festival? How can one celebrate remembrance with an act of violence? If Islam is the religion of peace and if we want this statement to hold true, we have to realize the truth that there is absolutely nothing peaceful about animal sacrifices. This is not what peace looks like. This is not what an act of kindness or compassion looks like. This is an act of cruelty.
We can show our love and wealth to God without oppressing other beings. It doesn’t make sense to be violent to show love. Violence and love, those two things, don’t mix. Slaughter, sacrifice, call it whatever you want but at the end of the day it’s still killing. It’s still taking away an innocent being’s life. It’s still cold-blooded murder.
The brutal ritual at “Adha” is not necessary these days, especially in a religion that preaches compassion and love. Peace does not exist where there is violence inflicted on an innocent being. We can offer anything we deem valuable to those less fortunate without compromising the life of an innocent animal and inflict pain and suffering where it is not needed. We’re not living 1400 years ago, and the world is continuously changing. We can create a world today where there is less violence; it is a better world than yesterday’s. Please do the right thing, don’t kill animals this Eid. Choose to be kind. Choose compassion over killing.
