DUSHANBE, October 25, 2011, Asia-Plus — the faction of the Liberal democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) in the State Duma (Russia’s lower house of parliament) has submitted the draft law banning performance of ritual of animal sacrifice outside areas specially allocated for making animal sacrifices for consideration to the State Duma, Metronews.ru reports.
Under the draft law offered by Liberal-Democrats, all religious rituals involving violent acts against a human being or an animal (sacrifices, initiations, cleansings and so forth) must be performed only inside worship buildings.
The maximum punishment provided for by the draft law for those breaking the rules (making animal sacrifices in the street or near the children’s institution) is a 15-day arrest.
Last year, millions of Muslims all over Russian celebrated Eid al-Adha on November 16. The holiday closes with the ritual sacrifice of a sheep. It is be noted that the killings, sometimes carried out in public spaces, shock and anger some non-Muslim Russians.
This year, the Muslim religious holiday, Eid al-Adha or “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid,” is celebrated on November 6. This important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Ismail) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. Those Muslims who can afford sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually a cow, but can also be a camel, goat, sheep or ram depending on the region) as a symbol of Abraham”s willingness to sacrifice his only son. The sacrificed animals have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice.
The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by concerted efforts to see that no impoverished person is left without an opportunity to partake in the sacrificial meal during these days.
