Perth Voice Interactive

This week marks Eid, the Muslim religious festival of sacrifice.

For the first time Vincent city council is teaming up with the Muslim community to celebrate the holiday, and is hoping to include non-Muslims in the festival too.

Former mayor Alannah MacTiernan says she wanted to help support a mainstream Muslim festival that everyone can enjoy.

She says when an anti-Muslim film recently sent talkback radio into overdrive, “in response to that I wanted to do something positive with Perth’s Islamic community.

“Hopefully this can go on to emulate the success of our Chinese New Year festivities. We need to embrace the latest wave of migration from the Middle-East and Africa.”

Zarrin Siddiqui from the WA ethnic communities council says it’s an important day for Muslims living in Australia, who aren’t able to practice the traditional sacrifice here.

The festival celebrates the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God: In the Muslim recount of the Old Testament story, when Ibrahim (Abraham) follows God’s command and makes the cut his son is unharmed, instead replaced by a ram.

The festival is commemorated in many countries with the sacrifice of an animal, and while that can’t be done in Australia Ms Siddiqui says she will be sending money home to Pakistan so a goat there can meet its end.

The inaugural ‘Vincent Celebrates Eid’ festival is this Sunday October 20 at Birdwood Square from 11am to 4pm. All are welcome and there’ll be food stalls, arts and crafts, markets, dancers, world music, and the team from Silat Seni Gayong Australia practising Malaysian martial arts.

by DAVID BELL and STEPHEN POLLOCK