Qurbani in Gaza

About Qurbani

The offering of a qurbani (udhiya) sacrifice on the days of Eid al-Adha has always been an event of great spiritual and and social importance to Muslims.

The act itself is a commemoration of Ibrahim's (as) willingness to submit to the will of Allah (swt) and to sacrifice his son. Allah (swt) tells us: "It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah. it is your piety that reaches Him…" [Qur'an 22:37] emphasising the spiritual and overriding significance of qurbani.

Qurbani is, however, also an important act of charity: it provides the poor and disadvantaged with meat -- often not a part of the everyday diet -- and an opportunity to share in the joys of Eid. It acts also as a reminder on this joyous ocassion that our concern and generosity should aways extend to others beyond our immediate family and friends.

Given this, the Qurbani Service has always been a very important part of Muslim Hands' work. Beginning weeks if not months in advance of Eid, offices and partners in over 40 countries worldwide begin planning the purchase of suitable animals for Qurbani and their sacrifice, finding the most deserving recipients and organising the distribution of meat. In each case local staff tailor the programme to local needs and norms, purchase local livestock and employ local labour so as to maximise the benefit insha'Allah.

Gaza

Gaza, Palestine is home to some 1.5 million people and is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Since mid-2007 an Israeli blockade has made life almost unbearable for its inhabitants with unemployment running at 35+% and 80% of families dependent on direct food aid. Constant border closures have left Gaza isolated with goods unable to flow in or out; even many of the sick are unable to cross into Israel or Egypt for vital treatment.

Muslim Hands has a long history of work in Gaza and an office opened in mid-2007 further strengthens Muslim Hands presence and ability to carry out work locally. Programmes carried out in the region include the Qurbani Service, education and schooling, medical care, safe water, orphan care and agricultural aid.

Worldwide Qurbani 2007

In 2007 Muslim Hands spent $20,111.25 on qurbani projects in Gaza, providing 2,000 underpivileged families with 1.5kgs of meat each.

Locally cows are cheaper per kg compared to sheep so were selected as the animal of choice. Even more so as since the siege of Gaza began in mid-2007 the price of many food stuffs has risen. Both sheep and cow prices in Gaza were 40% higher than the previous year.

The Muslim Hands Gaza office purchased 14 cows from the local market. The average weight of each cow being about 410kg. The slaughtering of the animals and splitting of meat into 1.5kg bags was supervised by the Muslim Hands Gaza office and carried out using local labour.

For the sake of equality Gaza was divided into three regions for the purposes of meat distribution, with qurbani bags allocated based on the population distribution as follows:

Local organisations in each area assisted with the distribution of meat to the agreed families.

The breakdown of costs was as follows:

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