MADINAH — Following the ban on the slaughter of camels as sacrifice during the upcoming Haj, the Saudi government has also banned their slaughter all over the Kingdom during the Eid Al-Adha. The Ministry of Health said the move was taken as a precautionary measure against any possible spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) after it has been proved beyond doubt that the camels have been the carriers of the deadly virus. The ministry's official spokesman, Faisal Al-Zahrani, said the ban covers all areas of the Kingdom without exception. He said the Burmese community in Makkah, Madinah and elsewhere, who are accustomed to slathering camels during the Eid Al-Adha, should this year seek other alternatives such as cattle, sheep or goats. The spokesman said the ban on slaughtering of camels during Eid Al-Adha was based on a fatwa (religious edict) issued by the Kingdom's Grand Mufti who said the camels for sacrifice could be replaced by sheep, cattle or goats. "We have started dismantling the random camel dens in the holy sites and along the roads between Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah," he said. Zahrani said accordingly no camel will be allowed to enter into the holy sites during this Haj season. Kamal Omar Abdul Karim, a member of the Burmese community in Madinah, said the Burmese used to collect money from each other to buy camels for the Eid Al-Adha. He said each one will pay according to his financial ability and everyone will be given his or her share of meat when a camel is slaughtered. Karim said the picture for them is not clear this year because they have not received any official intimation banning the slaughtering of camels. "We approached the Madinah Municipality which denied receiving any official instructions about the ban on camel slaughtering," he said. Karim recalled that last Eid Al-Adha, the Burmese community in Madinah slaughtered 125 camels and seven cows. "We only heard about the ban from the people but have not received anything official about it. We are waiting for the instructions to implement them," he said. Karim said when the ban is officially communicated to them, they will set up committees to spread awareness among the community members to stop slaughtering the camels. Meanwhile, camel traders said there was a remarkable drop in the buying of the camels and the market has become very gloomy. They said people are now resorting to sheep and cattle for fear of the coronavirus.
