By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) Millions of Muslims across Africa on Saturday began celebrating the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, amid high commodity prices and a drought.
“We are happy to be celebrating this year’s Eid with no coronavirus restrictions in our city. But the prices of animals and food are extremely high,” Hussein Omar, a resident of Kireka, a suburb of Uganda’s capital Kampala, told Anadolu Agency via telephone.
Omar said goat prices have risen nearly twofold, making it impossible for many to buy animals for the traditional sacrifice.
“We used to buy a goat or sheep at 180,000 Uganda shillings ($48) but it now costs 250,0000 Uganda shillings ($67) or even more,” he said, adding that local traders blame the rising price of animals to soaring fuel prices.
Eid al-Adha is the most important Muslim holiday, marking the culmination of the annual hajj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia.
The Muslim holiday is celebrated by slaughtering animals that are shared with the needy. This ritual honors the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham to Jews and Christians) to sacrifice his own son on God’s behest, before the command was revoked.
- Horn of Africa
In Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, President Hassan Sheikh congratulated citizens on reaching the occasion of the Eid but urged them to help those affected by the drought.
Somalia is currently witnessing one of the worst droughts in four decades, which has affected over 7.7 million people, or half of the country’s population.
In Ethiopia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, Muslims there too feel the impact of higher food prices.
Many families in Ethiopia struggle to spend money on meat as the prices of goats, sheep, and cattle has soared.
“Muslims should celebrate Eid with a sense of charity and compassion to the needy,” Ethiopia’s Muslim leader Mufti Omar Idris said in a holiday message.
Ethiopia has the second-largest Muslim community in Sub-Saharan Africa, second only to Nigeria, with Muslims constituting 34% of Ethiopia’s population of 120 million.
Türkiye’s Diyanet Foundation – linked to its Religious Affairs Directorate – distributed meat to 31,150 needy families at nine locations in central and southern parts of Ethiopia. The group also distributed meat to several other African countries, including South Africa and Somalia.
- Nigeria
In his Eid message, President Muhammadu Buhari called on Nigerians to put the needs of the country above selfish interests and use religion as a motivation for the love of common humanity.
“If we put the teachings of our religions into practice, most of the evils afflicting our society would have been solved,” Buhari said in his message.
According to Buhari, religion shouldn't just be used as a mere badge of identity, but as a motivator for doing good for the country and humanity.
He said the exploitation of people by traders and theft of public funds by civil servants and other holders of public trust reflect the abandonment of the teachings of our religions.
“Our society is a bundle of contradictions. People display external religiosity without fear of God; they make life difficult for others; money becomes their god; leaders abandon their oaths of office by taking money meant for the welfare of the people and divert it into their private pockets,” he said.
In Burkina Faso, Muslims prayed for peace and security in the country.
Main prayers at the Place de la Nation in the capital Ouagadougou were attended by Religious Affairs Minister Abdoulaye Tall, as well as Issaka Sourwema, the commerce minister.
Imam Abdallah Ouedraogo, who led the prayers, stressed the need for social cohesion and public unity in the face of a volatile situation in parts of the country.
- Chad
In Chad, Sheikh Ahmat Annour Mahamat, the imam of the Great Mosque in the capital, called on the Muslim faithful to work in harmony, shunning embezzlement, theft, and corruption.
He said these vices are prohibited in Islam.
“The unity of the country is fostered by the sons of the country. You can earn everything with money but not the unity of the homeland. Work towards peace and harmony. There is a need for self-sacrifice so that this country, dear to all of us, can be at peace,” he added.
Prayers at the Grand Mosque were attended by Chad’s president and chairman of the country’s Transitional Military Council, Mahamat Idriss Deby.
- Rwanda
In Rwanda, the mufti, Sheikh Hitimana Salim, stressed the importance of Eid al-Adha and called on Muslims to foster love.
He also urged all Muslims who can do so to share with vulnerable families.
Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana, deputy speaker of the Rwandan parliament, led a group of about 25 Muslim lawmakers from Francophone countries who are in the capital Kigali, to attend Eid prayers at Kigali Stadium.
* Anadolu Agency correspondents Mohammed Dhaysane in Somalia, Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu in Nigeria, and Addis Getachew in Ethiopia contributed to this report.