By Muharrem Aksakalli
ISTANBUL
Several Turkish non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are going to distribute meat to millions of people at home and abroad during the upcoming Feast of Sacrifice.
Turkish Red Crescent President Ahmet Lutfi Akar told AA that they planned to distribute meat to two million people at home, and 450 thousand people abroad, thus doubling the numbers last year.
Meanwhile, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is going to distribute meat to the poor and needy in 116 countries across the world.
IHH Secretary-General Yasar Kutluay said that they would be distributing meat to 25 thousand Syrian families, but this number could increase further, and they could distribute meat to over 100 thousand families in Syria alone, meaning 500-600 thousand people, with the help of international relief organizations IHH is associated with.
Kimse Yok mu (Is Anybody There?) Charity Foundation, on the other hand, plans to distribute meat to around 300 thousand families in about 100 countries this year.
Foreign Aid Manager Yusuf Yildirim told AA that in some countries, they would be giving out presents in addition to meat, delighting children and orphans in particular.
Domestic Aid Coordinator, Emin Calhanoglu said that three thousand volunteers would be participating in this year's campaign, and noted that volunteers' work played a siginifcant role in their relief efforts.
Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) Association Communication Coordinator Recep Kocak stated that they would be distributing meat to at least 50 thousand families, or roughly 200 thousand people in 22 countries including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Palestine, Iraq, Kazakhistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Pakistan, Somali, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen.
Feast of Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha in Arabic) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his young first-born son Ishmael as an act of submission to God's command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before God intervenes to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead. The 4-day feast, the first day of which falls on October 15 this year, marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Observers sacrifice a sheep, cow, goat, buffalo or camel in the name of God, giving away one-third of the meat to friends and neighbors and donating one-third or more of the meat to the poor and needy.
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