Rabat: With Morocco’s sheep herds dwindling at an alarming rate, King Mohammed VI made a rare break with tradition by urging families to forego buying sheep for sacrifice during the upcoming Eid Al-Adha.
Economic and climate-related challenges put the yearly sacrifice and feast out of reach for most Moroccans, Ahmed Toufiq, the kingdom’s minister of Islamic Affairs, said late Wednesday evening.
Reading a letter from the King on state-run Al Aoula television, Toufiq said it was Morocco’s duty to acknowledge circumstances in which livestock shortages have led prices to skyrocket.
“Performing it in these difficult circumstances will cause real harm to large segments of our people, especially those with limited income,” the king, who is also Morocco’s highest religious authority, wrote in the letter. It’s the first time in 29 years that Morocco has asked citizens to forego holiday feasting and reflects that food prices remain a struggle for many despite Morocco’s rapid development.