Small groups of pilgrims have performed one of the final rites of the Islamic hajj as Muslims worldwide marked the start of Eid al-Adha.
Small groups of pilgrims have performed one of the final rites of the Islamic hajj as Muslims worldwide marked the start of Eid al-Adha. The last days of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia coincide with the four-day Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice”, in which Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor. Nearly every aspect of this year’s pilgrimage and celebrations has been hugely affected by the global coronavirus pandemic. It has pushed millions of people around the world closer to the brink of poverty, making it harder for many to fulfil the religious tradition of purchasing livestock. In Somalia, the price of meat has slightly increased. Abdishakur Dahir, a civil servant in Mogadishu, said that for the first time he will not be able to afford goat for Eid because of the impact of the virus on work. In some parts of West Africa, the price for a ram has doubled.
