"I suggest, according to proposal from various parties, that (the sacrificial ritual) be performed tomorrow, together with our brothers, who will perform the Eid al-Adha prayer on that day," Effendy said after attending the Eid al-Adha prayer procession here on Wednesday.
While the government decided that Eid al-Adha will fall on Thursday, Muhammadiyah --one of the biggest Muslim organizations in Indonesia-- according to its own moon sighting criteria, decided that the day falls on Wednesday.
The minister explained that the slaughter ritual could be delayed on grounds that it is performed during the Tashriq days -- three days after Eid al-Adha.
"In the spirit of togetherness, it is fine to wait for one day. Since the Tashriq period is three days, we still have two more days to sacrifice our livestock," Effendy noted.
He also encouraged Muslims, who are financially able, to make donations for the Qurban ritual this year to help those in need.
"This is our opportunity to perform the sacrifice to show that we are a generous and charitable nation," the coordinating minister emphasized.
Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah Executive Board General Secretary Abdul Mu'ti encouraged Muhammadiyah members to slaughter their sacrifice at slaughterhouses rather than at the mosque or school grounds.
If they have no alternative to perform the Qurban ritual outside those locations, he stressed that the procession should be performed professionally according to religious rulings.
"We could not just perform (the Qurban) nonchalantly because we need to represent a progressive Islam. At present, a lot of parties, especially animal rights activists, are concerned with and criticized the ritual (implementation)," Mu'ti remarked.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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