They are in their Friday best, though it is Tuesday! Many of the men are dressed in their traditional garments of their country and
are greeting each other. Today is the day of one of the biggest feasts or holidays that Muslims celebrate during the year. It is the feast of sacrifice (or Eid al Adha in Arabic) which celebrates what Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) was called to make 4000 years ago when he was told to sacrifice his son. In memory of this event the Muslims will normally kill a sheep or a goat (at least that is what is suppose to happen) across the Muslim world.
Is it celebrated differently in Europe? Muslim friends tell me that here in Europe it is much more difficult. Due to the animal rights laws they are not able to sacrifice the sheep or the goat in their homes as is their custom. So many of them will go to the halal meat shops and buy their meat. I have heard of some who go outside the city and do it on special farms. It is very complicated for them. This is a feast or Eid that normally lasts a couple of days and it is a time in which people typically celebrate it with their families.
Here in Spain, most of their families are back in their home country and if they have jobs they often have to work. So for the immigrants it can be a time that does not bring the same memories or joy of being in their community.
How do we greet them? Though I am not a Muslim and I recognized that there are differences, like who is the “son”[1], we can wish them “Eid Muburak” (something like have a merry feast) as a sign of respect. There are Christians who say doing this is an endorsement of Islam but I don’t see it that way. In many ways for Muslims Eid al Adha is as exciting as Christmas in dress, gifts and food as it is for us. In the same way when a Muslim wishes a Christian “Merry Christmas” it is not an endorsement of our belief, but a religious or cultural greeting that is polite and respectful. Sometimes I wonder if Christians think too hard about being polite as an endorsement due to their fear of compromise and lose the human touch.
If you have a Muslim that you know, it is a great way to connect and be a friend. It at least says I know what is important to you. So today, when I meet a Muslim or I talk to one on the phone, why not wish them Eid Mubarak!
[1] In the next couple of days I will be publishing a podcast that will explain for Christians how we relate this to what is in the Torah in Genesis 22. One of the big differences is that Muslims believe the son was Ishmael while the Jewish and Christian Scriptures believe it was Isaac. We will look at it more in depth.
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Categories: Christian-Muslim Interaction
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Today Muslims are celebrating Eid al-Adha.