COTABATO CITY – In celebration of Eid’l Adha, the Islamic Relief Philippines (IRP), a faith-inspired international humanitarian and development organization, on Tuesday slaughtered some 43 cows at the Halal slaughterhouse here for distribution to conflict-affected families in Marawi City.
About 1,800 Marawi crisis-affected families living in tents in the city are the expected beneficiaries during the three-day Islamic celebration.
Speaking for IRP, Maryann Zamora, said the distribution will commence Wednesday and Thursday in celebration of Eid’l Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice of Muslim faithful.
“The IRP will distribute for the next two days 3,870 kg. of Qurbani meat to most vulnerable Marawi crisis-affected families living in tents and temporary houses in Marawi City,” Zamora said.
During Eid’l Adha, the second most revered annual Muslim holiday after Eid’l Fitr, livestock are slaughtered as a sacrifice. This ritual reflects Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
She said to ensure that local customs are adhered to, IRP follows a robust process in implementing the highest standard from the selection of cows, slaughtering, and packing until the meat reaches the beneficiaries.
The IRP ensures the freshness of the meat that the families would be receiving.
“We hope that this initiative will bring hope and a sense of contentment to the displaced families and would remind everyone to renew our faith in Allah, just like what Prophet Ibrahim did,” Omar Rahaman, IRP head of mission, said in a statement.
Non-Muslim Marawi crisis-affected families will also receive the meat packs, Rahaman added.
Zamora quoted Lorena, a non-Muslim and a mother of five whose family lives in one of the tents in Marawi, as saying, “During Ramadan, we received what our Muslim neighbors received from the IRP.”
Lorena is one of more than 27,000 individuals who have yet to return to the 24 most-affected communities of the city, following the five-month armed hostilities last year.
She said her family received halal-certified food packs from the IRP during Ramadan.
Last May, during the holy month of Ramadan, more than 15,000 vulnerable people in Marawi City and Maguindanao province received Ramadan food packs from the IRP group. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
