Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 21, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Eid Al-Adha, a four-day Islamic celebration was observed at the Islamic Centre starting Dec. 18. Festivities were kicked off with early prayer led by visiting Sheik Hasan Mossri of Cairo, Egypt.

Sheik Hasan Mossri leads prayers at the Yellowknife Islamic Centre for the holy Muslim celebration of Eid Al-Adha this past week. - Cara Loverock/NNSL photo

The mosque was packed with members of the Islamic community who came out for the religious festival, who have relocated from countries all over the world including Somalia, Lebanon and Iraq.

Eid Al-Adha, explains Mossri, a professor of Islamic law at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, with the help of a translator, is also known as the festival of sacrifice and commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah.

"We have five pillars in Islam," said Mossri. "Every Eid comes after a pillar."

Eid Al-Adha is celebrated a day after the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

"Every family slaughters something for this," said Mossri. "We slaughter something right after prayer."

The slaughter for the Yellowknife community was done in Edmonton by a Muslim who had to follow proper religious procedure.

The meat the community here will be eating is sheep, but any meat can be used other than pork, which is forbidden in Islam.

This is the first Eid Al-Adha Mossri has spent away from his home. He said that although he misses his home, the Islamic community of Yellowknife has been very welcoming.

"It's good the only concern, the only bother, is the weather," said Mossri, adding that in Egypt it is now around 40 C.

"As Muslims we all consider each other brothers and sisters. And I am fulfilling my job as an Islamic teacher," said Mossri.