Veterinarians are called in to inspect sheep at a slaughterhouse ahead of one of Islam’s most important holidays in Dubai, where the city government is encouraging residents to use smart apps to order sacrificial animals.
Muslims traditionally buy a whole sheep to be slaughtered and distributed to friends, family and the poor during Eid Al Adha, which falls in July this year to mark the end of the Haj pilgrimage season.
However, demand remains year-round in the Muslim emirate as masked workers at the slaughterhouse in the Al Qouz industrial estate – one of many in Dubai – slice and clean the meat for delivery or collection.
To avoid overcrowding at the facility during Eid, Dubai officials have urged people to use smart apps to place their orders as the emirate faces a fresh wave of coronavirus infections.
Through the apps, residents can place their slaughter orders, have them delivered, or even donate to local charities.
While such apps are not widely used in Muslim countries, they have been used in some countries like Pakistan.
Dubai, one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates, has seven apps, officials said.
Ali al-Hamadi, Director of Public Health at Dubai Municipality, said deliveries via the apps were made “within an hour or two, saving people time and energy”.
“Over the past two years, many have resorted to smart apps due to Covid-19 as precautions are still needed and we have to take that into account,” he told AFP.
Fayez al-Badr, in charge of one of the smart apps in Dubai, said customers could “order the type of slaughter and their age and pay through the app and have it delivered in a refrigerated truck”.
The UAE warned earlier this month that people must follow its anti-Covid measures, including wearing masks indoors, or face hefty fines after cases more than doubled in a week.
Muslims mark Eid by buying sheep and goats to kill in the annual ritual, which comes from the story of Prophet Abraham, who was commanded by God to slaughter his beloved son Ishmael as a test of his faith.
Sheep are slaughtered in imitation of the lamb that God intended to sacrifice in place of Ishmael.
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