Judges prevents Muslims from Eid sacrifice

Judge halts silencing of the lambs

Published: Dec. 17, 2007 at 8:02 PM

PRINCETON, N.C., Dec. 17 (UPI) — A
North Carolina judge has issued a 10-day injunction against the planned
slaughter of hundreds of lambs by Muslim families for a religious
festival.

At officials’ urging, a Johnston County judge told a
farmer Friday he couldn’t open his farm next week to 250 Muslim
families planning to slaughter lambs as part of the three-day festival
known as Eid al-Adha, or Festival of the Sacrifice, which begins
Wednesday.

Eddie Rowe left the hearing Friday afternoon
carrying a book full of the names of people who bought a lamb and the
right to kill it on his Princeton, N.C., farm next week, The News &
Observer in Raleigh reported

To open up their farm for the
slaughter, state agriculture officials say the Rowes must build a
custom slaughter facility, which the family says would cost $740,000.

“When
engineers, lawyers and students who have limited contact with animals
come down from suburban centers to slaughter an animal, that’s exactly
the kind of high risk of spreading disease we’re talking about,” said
Barry Bloch, a lawyer with the state attorney general’s office.

The
Rowes’ customers reportedly paid $160 a lamb for Eid al-Adha, a holiday
in which Muslims thank God for their blessings and their ability to
share them with others.