Charities offer sacrifice on web

ISLAMABAD—Religious organisations in Pakistan are using the web to help Western Muslims buy and sacrifice animals for Eid, which marks the end of the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah.
Muslims unable to perform the ritual can now buy an animal over the internet, and even watch it being slaughtered, before its meat is given away. “It is not easy for them to buy animals and carry out the sacrifice according to our religious rites in those countries,” said Sohail Ahmed, an official at the Al Khidmat.
“They are turning to the internet to complete their religious obligations,” said Ahmed, whose organisation offers the service. Animals are available on the web for between $100 for a goat and $450 for a cow. “It is a matter of convenience. People nowadays don’t have time to go to the markets and haggle over prices,” said Farukh Sheikh of the Sahara trust. Some Islamic groups shun the service as controversial since web purchases involve paying interest, which is prohibited under Islamic law.—Agencies