Filipino Muslims celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice

Noel Celis, Basilio Sepe and Jojo Riñoza
2023.06.28
Manila and Dagupan, Philippines
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A view from a drone shows Muslims praying as they celebrate the Eid-ul-Adha holiday at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, June 28, 2023. [Basilio Sepe/BenarNews]

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Doves fly above a mosque in Dagupan City, northern Philippines, as Filipino Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha, June 28, 2023. [Jojo Riñoza/BenarNews]

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Muslim men hold down a cow as they prepare to slaughter it as a sacrifice for the Eid-ul-Adha holiday in Dagupan City, Philippines, June 28, 2023. [Jojo Riñoza/BenarNews]

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A girl in red stands as Muslims gather for prayers to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, June 28, 2023. [Basilio Sepe/BenarNews]

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Men string up a goat after slaughtering it for a feast marking Eid-ul-Adha at the Marikina Grand Mosque in Metro Manila, Philippines, June 28, 2023. [Noel Celis/BenarNews]

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Muslim girls eat snacks and play on a mobile device as others take part in prayers during Eid-ul-Adha at the Marikina Grand Mosque in Metro Manila, Philippines, June 28, 2023. [Noel Celis/BenarNews]

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A view from a drone shows Muslims gathering for prayers as they mark Eid-ul-Adha at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, June 28, 2023. [Basilio Sepe/BenarNews]

Muslims in the Philippines fasted, prayed and feasted on Wednesday as they joined followers of Islam around the world to mark Eid-ul-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.

One of the major holidays on the religion’s calendar, Eid-ul-Adha honors Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God, who allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead. Muslims worldwide butcher cows, goats, lambs and other animals to prepare a feast for friends and family, and to donate to others in need.

Muslims are a minority in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, where they are mainly concentrated in the country’s south. 

On Wednesday, security was tight in many places around Metro Manila and in the southern Philippines, where Muslims gathered at mosques to participate in the holiday’s rituals. 

In northern Dagupan City, Muslims slaughtered a ceremonial cow after attending morning prayers at the Khalid Bin Alwaleed Mosque. Practically all health restrictions had been lifted in the city, although the government said it was still wary of new mutations of the COVID-19 virus.

The tight-knit Muslim community broke their one-day fast with a meal that included beef from the freshly butchered cow. 

“During Eid-ul-Adha we remember the works of Prophet Abraham. He offered his son Ismael [as a sacrifice but the boy] was replaced by God with a lamb,” said Imam Faisal Salud Idgiran.

For Filipino Muslims, sacrificing a cow or a goat is seen not only as an important religious tradition, but a duty.

Islam predates Christianity in the Philippines by more than a century, although at present Muslims are a minority comprising only less than 7% of the country’s 110 million Filipinos. 

In Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on all Filipinos to show solidarity with Muslims.

When his late namesake father, a dictator, was in power in the Philippines, the elder Marcos allowed a brutal military campaign to violently put down a Muslim secessionist insurgency.

“Truly, our nation is a land of plentiful creeds that is further nurtured by Muslim Filipinos who help weave our rich tapestry of diversity. Let their devotion to these beliefs shine above all throughout the festivities and further strengthen the bond among our families, friends, and communities,” Marcos Jr. said in his message to the nation.

Marcos noted that it was only “when we openly and willingly embrace each other’s differences that we will be able to build a more prosperous and harmonious society for all,” the president said.

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