French Mosque Urges Eid al-Adha Sheep Boycott Amid Soaring Prices

On April 16, the Light and Piety mosque in Nîmes set the tone by launching a "responsible" boycott campaign for sheep purchases. "This festival should be a time of sharing, solidarity and joy for families, and NOT a day of constraints and difficulties," its leaders note, denouncing "a considerable increase" in sheep prices, "ranging from €100 to €400." A situation which, according to them, represents "a real burden for many families, especially those who do not have the means to cope with this inflation."

"By choosing not to buy these animals at exorbitant prices, we can send a strong message to sellers, asking them to review their rates to make them more accessible to all. Our community deserves fair and reasonable prices. Together, let’s make our voice heard and preserve the spirit of Eid: a time of celebration for all, without financial pressure," urges the Nîmes mosque.

In addition to this steep rise in sheep prices, the mosque denounces the "persistent" lack of approved slaughterhouses in the department. For Eid al-Adha, only one slaughterhouse has been approved in Vestric-et-Candiac. Faced with this situation, the Light and Piety mosque invites its faithful to replace the purchase of sheep with "sending donations for sacrifice in countries where the needy truly need it." The mosque officials, however, specify that this campaign to boycott the purchase of sheep does not target the celebration of Eid al-Adha.

"It is essential to remember that the festival of Eid al-Adha remains a worship and a prophetic tradition of great importance for all Muslims. We thus encourage all the faithful to attend the Eid prayer and to live this blessed day in piety, brotherhood and serenity with their loved ones. Our approach [...] is exclusively addressed to the question of acquiring the sheep intended for sacrifice this year," they clarified.

The French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) reacted to this call for boycott targeting the purchase of sheep, emphasizing the need to perform a ritual sacrifice on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, "in strict compliance with animal welfare rules, as prescribed by Muslim tradition and European regulations," and reminding that this sacrifice "is not an obligation for those who do not have the means." The faithful can also proceed with the sacrifice by proxy, "as is done for pilgrims in Mecca," recommends the CFCM.