BOROUGH HALL — On Thursday, November 18, 2010, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Turkish Cultural Center hosted a Meat Drive dedicated to the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid ul Adha) in partnership with Universal Foundation and Helping Hands Relief Foundation.
The organizers delivered 700 pounds of packaged beef cutlets to participating community organizations at Borough Hall.
The Feast of Sacrifice commemorates Prophet Abraham’s (PBUH) obedience to God as he was tested to sacrifice his beloved son. On this day, God sent his angel Gabriel and provided Abraham a ram in place of his beloved son. Since then, it has been celebrated by Muslims to commemorate this day by sacrificing animals such as cow, sheep and goat in memory of Abraham’s devotion. Muslims are obliged to distribute two-third of the meat to the people in need.
“Every organization in this multi-cultural partnership is to be commended for truly exemplifying both the very meaning of sacrifice and the spirit of community, and this is especially appreciated at this time of year when so many Brooklyn families face the challenges of doing without,” said Markowitz. “When Turkish generosity meets our famous Brooklyn attitude— there’s nothing we can’t do!”
“The Feast of Sacrifice is a holiday to celebrate and share with families, friends and the community. It is also a holiday to care for those who are in need,” said Suleyman Aydogan, the executive director of Turkish Cultural Center Brooklyn.
Numan Ozdemir, president of Universal Foundation, said that “the perfect Muslim is not a perfect Muslim, who eats till he is full and leaves his neighbors hungry.”
