Egyptian Muslim Writer To Be Tried For Insulting Islam

Muslim Egyptian writer Fatima Naoot, 50,  criticized the ritual sacrifice of animals that occurs during Eid Al-Adha every year, and now she's in hot water for "insulting Islam."   Back in October she posted on Facebook:

"Happy massacre." " Massacre committed by men over the past 10 centuries and followed by men each year with a smile." "Annual massacre observed because of a nightmare of one (prophet) about his son." "Although the nightmare has passed for the prophet and his son, each year helpless animals pay with their lives the price of this sacred nightmare."

 Eid Al-Adha (aka Feast of the Sacrifice) marks the end of the annual Hajj (trek) to Mecca, and commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's behest. Muslims usually sacrifice a cow, or a sheep, goat, camel or buffalo. As many as 10 million animals are slaughtered on Eid,

Naoot, who is Muslim, deleted her posts from Facebook after controversy erupted about them. But a judicial official said on Saturday that she admitted during questioning that she had written them.

The 50-year-old columnist denied she had any intention to insult Islam, the official told AFP, adding she had also been charged with "making fun of the right to sacrifice".

"It is the price paid by those who carry torches of enlightenment at every age," Naoot wrote on Friday after having been informed of her trial which is due to start on Jan. 28.

She said that in October she had posted messages on Facebook to congratulate Muslims for Eid Al-Adha but "urged them to respect the offering and not humiliate it by flooding the ground with animal blood".

One of her "friends" must have ratted her out.

In Egypt, you're not allowed to insult and of the three major state-sanctioned religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Those who have been convicted have received up to 6 months of jail time.

CAIR-MD Demands Eid Holidays Become Official School Holidays In Public Schools

Even though Muslim students are excused and tests are not given on Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) and Eid al Adha (Hajj), CAIR-MD is trying to make those two Islamic holy days official school holidays for Montgomery, Maryland public schools. And, no doubt, other chapters of the Council on Islamic-American Relations will push for it to happen nationwide. They don't think it's fair that Christians and Jews get Christmas, Easter, Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur off from school, even though this country is based on Judeo-Christian principles. Nope, they want theirs officially recognized as well.  

Zainab Chaudry, VP of CAIR-MD and chair of the Eid Equality Coalition claims this is not about a community demanding special privileges, but about "equal rights.".  So what about Buddhists and Hindus, and Baha'is and the myriad of other religious faiths, do they get their holidays off as well, in the name of equal rights?  This is all about special privileges.

I wonder if Christian and Jewish school kids get their holidays celebrated in Muslim-majority countries? Oh right, they're not even allowed to worship in many of those countries, if there are even any left there after being killed or forced to flee.

Video here. 

Florida City Commissioner Blocks Muslims From Sacrificing Animals For EID

Sheila Alu, a Florida city Commissioner, managed to prevent the slaughtering of goats and lambs as part of the Muslim Eid ritual sacrifice scheduled for this Sunday in Sunrise. Although not a vegetarian, nor anti-Muslim, Alu is simply an animal lover who was very alarmed at the idea of animals being slaughtered in her backyard, so to speak.

"Yes, I was trying to stop it. It's shut down. I'm trying to protect innocent animals. This is not an appropriate setting for the slaughtering of animals in an open field in a city that's as populated as Sunrise. Usually these religious ceremonies take place in a rural area." [snip] I have no ill will toward the Muslim faith," she said. "I'm just an animal lover."

As expected, a representative of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), Nezar Hamze, balked at the fact that someone dared prevent them from butchering all those goats and lambs.

"Wow," Hamze said. "That is very upsetting. We'll find another venue. But that's very disturbing. I'm very disappointed in that. We asked for permission and went through the proper channels and now it's off because a commissioner has a problem with it."

However, it's not just the commissioner that has a problem with it.  As of this moment, according to a Sun-Sentinel poll, an overwhelming 60% feel the exact same way.

Apparently, a bunch of Muslims from local area mosques were set to celebrate the Festival of Sacrifice at a 45-acre farm this coming Sunday.  According to Hamze, Eid ul-Adha is in  commemoration and remembrance of Abraham's trials, and ritual sacrifice is a required part of that celebration.

"The meat is sacrificed according to state and Islamic law," Hamze said. "There is no bloodbath. It's very humane. It's a slit on the throat real quick. And they bleed out in a couple seconds. The animals do not suffer."

Sorry, but this extremely graphic video (WARNING) of a goat being slaughtered is far from quick and painless.

I have no clue why sacrifice is still allowed in a civilized country, but apparently  it is.

The Florida Humane Slaughter Act governs the handling and killing of livestock, and a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision stemming from a case in Miami-Dade County upheld the right for animal sacrifices for religious purposes. That decision grew out of a lawsuit filed by the Lukumi Babalu Aye church charging the city of Hialeah with illegally enacting ordinances designed to persecute Santeria practitioners.  That means animal sacrifices for religious purposes enjoy protection from government interference, said Derek Newton, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Alu believes that animals should be killed in  a slaughterhouse, not in a field in the middle of a farm in Sunrise. Apparently the owners of the farm were not aware of what was about to take place, since it was the caretaker, Derek Matherly, who made all the arrangements.  He said of Alu,

"I find it appalling that people are so upset when they eat lambs and goats every day," he said. "Let's go back a couple thousand years ago. They used to slaughter animals and then burn them for sacrifice. I don't see the big story here. It's not like animals are being tortured."

Well, Mr. Matherly, this is the 21st century not biblical times, and the burning and/or killing of animals for sacrifice should be left in the past.

They will, of course, still be slaughtering those animals, but Hamze is keeping mum as to the location.