Id-ul-Adha

"What mean and cruel things men can do for the love of God"

'Id-ul-Adha' is almost amongst us again here in Indonesia. This of course is the ritual slaying of animals in often cruel and unusual ways. Suddenly everyman jack (Abdul)is a qualified butcher and dresser of meat.

In reality, it’s a day blood and cruelty as unqualified yobs hack at the throats of animals with little idea of what they are doing or how to kill in humane fashion. More unsettling is the hordes of little children dragged along to witness dad revel in an orgy of blood n gristle.

Id-ul-Adha is also one of weirder religious celebrations, essentially drawn from the story of the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to Allah. Allah being the merciful (?) bloke that he is reputed to be (despite the floods, fires and earthquakes) sends an Angel at the last minute who tells Ibrahim that he can swap the killing of the child for the blood of an animal. The bible has a similar story with just enough changes to avoid copyright issues.

Now no-one really explains how the child felt about this nor how terrifying a child qualifies as a merciful God but the cynic in Stump can just imagine the conversation a couple of months later:

Dad.. “Come on Son, let’s go for a walk”
Ismael..”Eeer ..oh oh…you been hearing them voices again Dad”
Dad.. “Come on Son…time to go”
Ismael.. “Gulp… Can I bring the goat”?

Nope, it’s just the Stump but there is nothing in the story that inspires anything but revulsion.

To the animals just one word…………..RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

P.S. We knocked the picture off from one of the Nuttier Christian Sites coz we could. Doesn't make you just feel at peace with the world.