Saudi Arabia’s prestigious sacrificial meat utilization program plans to send the meat of one million heads of sheep and 10,000 cows and camels this year, to the poor and needy in 27 countries, as well as Syrian refugees.
“We intend to distribute sacrificial meat this year to the Syrian refugees in neighboring countries,” said Ahmed Mohamed Ali, president of the Islamic Development Bank, which supervises the program.
“This is a nonprofit Islamic service project. The bank does not receive any money for this work,” the president told media personnel, who have flown from different parts of the world to cover Haj season.
Ali said the program aimed to distribute the sacrificed animal meat, to the needy in the Islamic world. He also urged pilgrims to make use of the bank’s services and keep away from sacrificing animals in a haphazard manner, which could cause environmental problems in Makkah and holy sites.
He further elaborated that the bank has been managing this program since 1983, in collaboration with other stakeholders in the Kingdom. “Since its inception, the project has utilized and distributed meat of more than 16 million livestock, amongst the poor in Saudi Arabia and 27 other countries,” he said.
The project’s website www.adahi.org, is designed to enable individuals intending to buy sheep for hady, odhiya, or sadaqa, to do so with a credit card all year round. The price for a sacrificed sheep this year is SR 450, which is equivalent to $120 or 96 Euros.
People can also purchase the coupons for animal sacrificing at the Saudi post offices, branches of Al Rajhi Bank, Al Amoudi Foreign Exchange, as well as at the offices of Al Haj and Al Muatamir Society in Makkah.
Ali referred to a Royal Decree 131 of 15/6/1419H (5/10/1998), under which it was officially declared that the sole institution authorized to sell Adahi coupons, is the IDB-run Saudi Arabia Project for the Utilization of Haj Meat. “All the animals are inspected by veterinary doctors and Shariah scholars to ensure the animals meet all Shariah and health requirements,” he said.
He urged the media to enlighten pilgrims against going to the project’s abattoirs, during peak periods.
The president also spoke about the bank’s accomplishments since it was established in 1975, in strengthening the socio-economic development of member countries, as well as Muslim communities in non-member countries. He also shed light upon the bank’s mission to boost cooperation amongst its member countries, and the Shariah-compatible financing modes, the bank applies in its operations.
Ali also said the bank’s capital has increased to $ 42 billion, which helped boost IDB’s standing and financial position, earning it an AAA in long-term credit and A1+ for short-term credit, from Standard and Poor’s, Fitch and Moody’s, for the seventh consecutive year.
He thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman and the Saudi government for their continuous support for IDB and the Adahi Project.
IDB facilitates animal sacrificing
