Surrogate sacrifices the in-thing for Bakrid this year

Hyderabad: The coronavirus has brought about several changes in the way Bakrid (August 1) is observed in Hyderabad. Many organisations and individuals are turning to alternative options anticipating that they would be unable to go through the ritual sacrifice where they live due to COVID-19 restrictions.

For one thing, the civic administration is not likely to allow animal trade on the streets as is the norm in normal times. Moreover, those living in apartment complexes and gated communities may face objections from neighbours due to the Covid-19 fear.

This likelihood has brought up the idea of surrogate sacrifice, or collective sacrifice.

A large number of faithful are concerned about buying the Udhiyah (sacrifice) this year because of the coronavirus scare surrounding crowded markets.

The Udhiyah is intended to commemorate the faith and sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Ismaeel. Usually, Muslims divide the meat in three parts, keeping one for themselves and distribute two among friends, relatives and the poor.

With many individuals coming forward, arrangements for collective sacrifices on three days of Bakrid have been made by a few organizations, particularly at the Deeni Madarsa. There are two patterns to this: in one, the sacrifice is performed and the dressed meat is delivered to individuals; in the second, animals are sacrificed on behalf of donors and all the meat is distributed to those in need.

Mohammed Areeb, who arranges collective Bakrid sacrifices, said he the entire process is duly sanitised. “Slaughtering and dressing of meat is done under the supervision of ulema. We use a separate knife for each animal. The dressed meat is delivered in hygienic packaging. If the donor wants to distribute the whole meat to the needy, we can do that too," he said.