"The slaughter of the Qurbani animals will start tomorrow, on Tuesday, at 7 a.m. local time," Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar remarked in Jakarta on Monday.
He noted that the animals received were donated by President Joko Widodo, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, Fifth President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, and Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
President Widodo donated a cow weighing 1,192 kilograms, while Vice President Amin provided a 1,164-kilogram cow.
Moreover, Umar noted that the mosque had also received sacrificial animals from non-Muslim residents, including representatives of the Cathedral Church, Borobudur Hotel, and Chinese community.
"This is a testament to Indonesia's religious tolerance," he affirmed.
The grand imam remarked that his side preferred to proactively distribute Qurbani meat directly to those deserving in the last four years, eliminating the need for people to queue up at the mosque.
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In addition to delivering meat, he highlighted that the Istiqlal Mosque has also provided institutions, such as Islamic boarding schools, with budgets to independently purchase Qurbani animals.
He then remarked that the Istiqlal Mosque had always upheld environmental cleanliness during Qurban, noting that the mosque has always kept the blood and waste of sacrificial animals in dedicated tubs.
The stored blood and waste will then be handed over to those who can recycle them into eco-friendly alternative fuels, he remarked.
After performing the Eid al-Adha prayers at the mosque, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin handed over Qurbani cows that he and President Widodo had donated to Grand Imam Umar.
"It has been a tradition that the president and vice president donate sacrificial animals to several places, especially Istiqlal Mosque, which receives quite a lot of cows and goats this year," he remarked.
On the occasion, he invited more Muslims to strengthen bonds with the Almighty God by donating sacrificial animals whose meat will be distributed to those in need, as exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
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Translator: Sugiharto P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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