Each year, Turkish aid organizations -- including Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?), the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) and the Cansuyu Aid and Solidarity Association -- distribute food, clothing, money and other forms of assistance to the less fortunate both in Turkey and around the globe during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), which begins on Oct. 25 this year.
The IHH aid foundation has started its aid activities during the four-day Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice under the slogan “Sacrifice is a form of worship; sharing is brotherhood.” According to data Today's Zaman has obtained from the organization, the İHH plans to convey aid packages containing sacrificial meat to people in need in 101 countries around the world as well as 66 provinces in Turkey this year. Among the countries in which the İHH will distribute aid are Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chechnya, Myanmar, Kenya, Indonesia and Syria.
Kimse Yok Mu is another organization preparing to bring cheer to the less fortunate by distributing sacrificial meat and various other gifts. According to data the foundation provided to Today's Zaman, Kimse Yok Mu estimates that it will give aid to 300,000 families in 74 countries across the world during Eid al-Adha.
Last year, Kimse Yok Mu sacrificed 60,000 animals, the cost of which was met by donations, in 43 countries including Somalia, Pakistan, Palestine and Ethiopia, and delivered sacrificial meat to 179,043 families in those countries. The organization also distributed sacrificial meat to 58,309 families around Turkey.
The Cansuyu Aid and Solidarity Association expects to sacrifice 25,000 animals during Eid al-Adha. The association will distribute aid packages in Turkey, African and Asian nations, Chechnya, Myanmar, Palestine and several Balkan states.
For Muslims across the globe, Eid al-Adha is one of the most important religious holidays of the year. During this four-day holiday, they recall the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.
Published on Today's Zaman, 24 October 2012, Wednesday
