The spirit of Eid comes in all forms. And this Muslim family shows how celebrating the spirit of Ibrahim does not have to involve actual animal slaughter every year. Bringing to the world a completely different an unheard of Eid celebration in Bengaluru, here is Asma and Ashraf’s story and their motivation behind turning vegan. That said, this article is not meant to hurt any religious sentiments. So read on about this incredible family.

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A Vegan Eid

Ever heard of Eid without a special Dawat consisting of meaty delicacies like mutton biryani and kebabs and Chicken 65? This family has proved that Eid can also be celebrated without any meat! Yes, you got that right. The Muslim couple Asma and Ashraf Mohammed have been celebrating a meat and dairy-free Eid since the past 6 years.

“We usually have a feast of raita made with vegan yoghurt, baigan ka bharta, tofu fry instead of chicken 65 and vegetable biryani with tofu and dry fruits,” they said in a conversation with Bangalore Mirror.

How Did The Idea Of Vegan Eid Come About?

So how did the couple formulate this idea and actually make it happen? What was the journey like? All this happened over their strong belief of how no animals needed to be slaughtered for any kind of celebration. This belief was strengthened upon watching a documentary centring on animal slaughter. It drove the couple to find ways to celebrate Eid without harming any animals as well.

Who Else?

It’s not just this couple but a small community of Muslims in the city of Bengaluru who support the same ideology and leave no stone unturned in celebrating Eid with a Vegan twist. What’s more, Asma and Ashraf also distribute this Vegan Dawat to the poor and needy every Eid as well.

The Journey

The journey to this liberating experience was not an easy one though. All members of this small and close-knit community faced heavy backlash from their own families and the society from this ‘unusual’ deviation.

My father thought I had gone crazy and took me to a psychiatrist. The doctor told him I was fine. When my family refused to cook vegetarian food for me, I went on a hunger strike for 72 hours and they finally relented,” said Altab Hossain, a member of this community, to Bangalore Mirror. Altab has even won the Vegan of the Year Award in 2017 at a Sattvik Vegan Fest. Isn’t that amazing?

This is but one story of the many forms of discrimination the community members faced from their own families upon turning Vegan.

Conclusion

The community in Bengaluru is more than happy with their decision and wants more and more people to join them in bringing about a Vegan revolution. And Asma and Ashraf are not backing out of their decisions, observing Eid every year with all their Vegan friends!

Be it Eid or any other festival, it’s always better to lessen the pain of all creatures big and small right? Like another community member, Sophie Bint Dawud said, ” God never asked us to sacrifice (something every year) and a celebration can happen without sacrificing an animal.” (In conversation with Bangalore Mirror).

*We would like to reiterate again that the article n no way means to hurt any religious sentiments*

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