Area Muslim’s celebrate submission to God

Michele Marr

More than 150 guests, mostly Turkish Muslims, gathered in a salon at

the Hyatt Regency Orange County to show their submission to God through

the Feast of Sacrifice.

The four-day feast marks the end of the Hajj, the pilgrimage many

Muslims make each year to the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Tolerance

Foundation of Huntington Beach hosted the early morning event on Feb. 22.

Also known as Eid-ul-Adha, the feast is a celebration of Abraham’s

willingness, as recorded in the Koran, to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a

sign of his submission to the will of God.

“Submission to the will of God,” is the literal meaning of the word

“Islam.” As a sign of his approval, God substituted a lamb for the

sacrifice in Ishmael’s place.

During the Feast of Sacrifice Muslims worldwide follow the exhortation

of the Koran, in Surah 108, “In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most

Merciful. To you We have granted the Fount of Abundance. Therefore to

your Lord turn in Prayer and Sacrifice.”

The sacrifice is not the same as prayer or fasting, explained Yusuf

Gurtas, president of the Tolerance Foundation.

“It is not obligatory, but it is Wajib,” he said “Everyone who can

afford it should do it because even though Wajib is not equivalent to

Fardh Muslims are strongly encouraged to practice it.”

The sacrifice has great merit in Islam. A minimum acceptable sacrifice

is a sheep or goat or at least one-seventh of a cow.

In areas more rural, among shepherds and husbandmen, Muslims may

slaughter their own livestock. Here the livestock were purchased and

professionally butchered at a Chino meat processing plant.

“It is fine to send money to someone and ask them to make the

sacrifice for you,” said Gurtas.

Other aspects of the sacrifice are social and charitable.The social

aspect is more difficult to practice here, but in Turkey the feast is an

official holiday. It allows people to spend a great deal time visiting

family, friends and neighbors.

According to Islamic tradition, at least one-third of the sacrificed

meat must be given away to others in need. This year the Tolerance

Foundation organized a campaign to donate one cow to be butchered and

distributed to various charities that feed the homeless and hungry.

A portion of the sacrifice went to the Food Rescue program of the

Second Harvest Food Bank, Society of St. Vincent de Paul made the

distribution of the fresh meat from an entire cow possible.

“Food Rescue is a unique program with a difficult mission,” said

Marcella Barba of Second Harvest.

Program members arrange to pick up fresh, perishable food that might

otherwise go wasted. Typically the food comes from restaurants, caterers,

hotels or amusement parks.

Second Harvest distributed the meat to a half-dozen charities in

Orange County including the Southwest Community Center Hospitality

Kitchen in Santa Ana and the We Care Family Ministry in Buena Park. The

donated beef, prepared mostly chopped or ground, was cooked into

everything from pasta to breakfast burritos.

“The meat was served at breakfasts, lunches and dinners from Saturday

through Monday at many locations,” said Gurtas.

Gurtas, who toured the Second Harvest Food Bank to learn more about

its programs, also visited several of the charities where the beef was

denoted to help serve the meals. He said it was both a learning

experience and a success and that next year will be even better.

“We want this program to succeed, to help feed the needy in our

community and to bring people of different religions together for a time

of joy and celebration,” he said.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer and graphic designer from

Huntington Beach. She has been interested in religion and ethics for as

long as she can remember. She can be reached at o7

michele@soulfoodfiles.com.f7