Jordanian elections, Eid al-Adha, and RIP lambs
Jordan had Parliamentary elections yesterday, which meant no school and an 8pm phone call asking us to please come home and stay home for the night, as there were potentially riots breaking out in Amman over the election results, and Americans weren't safe. This was a bit of an overstatement, because I'm very sure Americans have little or nothing to do with the Jordanian elections and all the fighting was tribal/familial, but still.
Quote from a news update from yesterday: "police arrest total of 30 knife/axe-wielding citizens in Madaba." Casual.
I'm also going on an 8-day vacation in a day and a half to Turkey and Lebanon. We're staying in Istanbul and Beirut but will be traveling all over Lebanon, most notably to a wine-tasting in Balbaak, the city where our friends from Hez hang out/live. (hez = hezbollah) Maybe I'll buy a shirt.
Most importantly, however, is the fact that all over the Middle East, Muslims will be celebrating Eid al-Adha. First and foremost, Eid is a holiday that celebrate the scene where Abraham would have sacrificed his son Ishmael to God but didn't have to. More importantly is the fact that right now, Muslims all over the world are making the Hajj to mecca (required once in their lives) that occurs 70 days after the end of Ramadan.
EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, however, is the fact that we should all be in mourning for the next week because EVERY MUSLIM FAMILY KILLS A LAMB FOR EID! Do you know how many Muslims there are in this place? Do you know how many lambs must be being shipped in as I write this just to be slaughtered by the heads of each house? I've been trying all day to figure out the logistics of this event, considering it happens every year, but my google search of "how muslim countries get so many lambs for eid" hasn't come up with any results. I did learn, however, that the lamb you sacrifice cannot have any defects (one-eyed lambs won't fly with Allah), can't be sick, can't be emaciated... basically every healthy, cheery little lamb gets sacrificed, but the one-legged weirdos get to hobble around free as birds while their less fortunate siblings fall under the knife.
For now, RIP lambs.
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LOLOLOLOLOL it is because a lamb with a "defect" might have a transmissible sickness. A lot of people are going to be eating lamb that week- a lot of it goes to the poor who can't afford meat. You know if wierd/sick lamb was permitted that it would probably just go to the poor knowing how people are in general. It is a health issue and I guess it would also prevent people pushing lambs off mountains and other wierd ways to kill an animal -in case you forgot your knife. That is a lot of lamb.
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