Eid-ul-Adha Sacrifice

Photographs and words by Shafkat Anowar

Muslims in Hawaii celebrate Eid-ul-Adha by sacrificing cattle in the rural countryside – something that is unusual to find in Hawaii’s landscape. While this is a common ritual to find in a Muslim country on the Islamic holiday, it's unusual in an isolated state like Hawaii. 

While most of us think beef for the dinner table comes from any grocery store like Safeway, Costco, or Foodland, for some Muslims, the meat they eat that day comes from a secure sacrificing ritual. In their language it’s called “halal meat.” The Muslim population in Hawaii is tiny, making the celebration different than other nations. They all know one other, and festivals like Eid connects them to one another. 

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these celebrations, just like other events in our world. But a group of 5-7 Muslims gathered together to perform the sacrificing ritual. This year, their prayer went towards humanity’s betterment and the world recovering from the pandemic. I got close access to see how they managed to do the whole ritual in a foreign land. Growing up, this celebration was familiar to me, but seeing and documenting it here gave it a different perspective. I felt the Eid celebration on this island came from a deep personal emotion that signifies the group’s deep religious and cultural connections as well.