FRIDAY, SEPT. 1, has been officially declared a holiday for the observance of Eid’l Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, considered as one of the two great feasts for Muslims. Malacañang released yesterday Proclamation 297 based on Republic Act 9849, which sets the annual festival as a regular holiday. The date for the Eid’l Adha, like the Eid’l Fitr at the end Ramadhan, changes based on the Islamic lunar calendar. Amina Rasul-Bernardo, president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, wrote on her Sept. 25, 2015 column on BusinessWorld that the Eid’l Adha “commemorates the story of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who was ready to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ismael) at Allah’s command. As the prophet was on the verge of sacrificing his son, God spared Ismail and replaced him with a lamb.” In modern times, she continued, “Pilgrims no longer have to do the act themselves. They contribute a fee and millions of sheep and goats (cows, if sheep and goats are not available) are ritualistically slaughtered and the meat donated to the poor all over the world.”

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