The 29-acre farm in Clarksburg, Maryland where Houshang Haji Momenian keep his animals ready for Eid Al-Adha sacrifices. Photo courtesy of Haji Momenian.
The season of Hajj has arrived.
Muslims around the world are focusing in on the rites and rituals of Hajj as millions of pilgrims prepare to converge on Islam’s holiest sites forming humanity’s largest congregation.
For most Muslims not performing the Hajj, this season culminates in the sacrifice (qurbani or udhiyya) on the day of Eid-ul-Adha, followed by the tradition of distributing the meat to family, friends and those in need and thereafter gathering together for a meal prepared from the sacrificial meat.
Yet for most second generation Muslim Americans, this tradition of the sacrifice on Eid-ul-Adha has been lost.
The concept of personally sacrificing an animal, in remembrance of the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham as he followed and submitted to the commands of his Lord, has become divorced from the celebrations of this holiday. While providing sacrificial meat for needy families around the world via donations to charitable organizations is undoubtedly a noble cause, this practice has caused the near complete loss of the Prophetic example (sunnah) of sacrificing an animal and then eating from its meat on the day of Eid-ul-Adha. Most Muslim children in America grow up without ever understanding the centrality of this sacrifice or witnessing it on Eid-ul-Adha.
For many, the lack of locations where such a sacrifice can be facilitated is the underlying reason for this choice. However, Muslims residing in the Maryland, Virginia and D.C. areas are fortunate in having more options than ever to undertake this practice on Eid-ul-Adha. This year, at least three businesses in the area are offering on-site slaughtering facilities, specifically designed for Eid-ul-Adha. They include locations in Clarksburg and New Windsor for Maryland and Dumfries for Virginia.
For Houshang Haji Momenian, a 65 year old Iranian-origin business owner who has been in the meat industry for more than 15 years, this Islamic slaughter is the “only way we know how [to kill an animal]”. He recalls how all his family’s meat in 1968 in Arkansas would come from goats he would purchase for $7 each and slaughter himself. Today, he owns and operates a large USDA certified slaughterhouse in Waynesboro, PA, which supplies meat to restaurants and stores, as well as a 29 acre farm and slaughtering facility in Clarksburg, MD, in addition to a meat and grocery store on Georgia Avenue.
This year will be Momenian’s first in catering to the Muslim community’s needs for Eid-ul-Adha and he is optimistic. He has about 1500 lambs and goats which have been brought here on 50-foot tractor trailers from Texas and Arkansas. He has also received advanced orders from meat stores, who in turn take orders for sacrificial meat from their own customers. Momenian says his goats and lambs cost $180 and weigh an average of 50lbs. There is an additional $20 fee for those who prefer to have the slaughtering done by someone else. Momenian employs Kosovan Muslims to do the slaughtering. “These people are so fast. They take one fifth of the time of a regular person,” he says.
“In this season, all know the price of goats is at least 25% higher,” says Momenian. “If [we] buy earlier, then we have to feed them and take care of them [which incurs additional cost].”
Momenian advises that eating lamb or goat is a much healthier choice than eating beef. “When you eat lamb and goat, you can be 99% sure that you are eating natural food. These animals eat off land.” He says lambs and goats don’t get that big and eat a lot, so “nobody can afford to feed them bags of [artificial] food” unlike beef which comes from cows that can weigh 1200 lbs and are fed special food or “formula” to encourage rapid growth. Some of this feed, says Momenian, includes pork ingredients.
He says he can even cater to the needs of customers who are advanced in age or have health conditions that require restrictions on cholesterol or calorie intake, as he can supply animals that are only 10 to 15 lbs in weight and, consequently, provide very “lean meat that tastes much better than chicken”. “No Islamic store can afford to sell a 10 lb goat, compared to a 25, 30 or 40lb goat or lamb,” says Momenian.
In future years, Momenian plans to enhance the facilities on his farm to include picnic areas and cooked food for sale for families to enjoy while the slaughtering on Eid is being done.
Joseph D. Kavanagh, Jr., an Irish-origin owner of the USDA inspected Lambco facility in New Windsor, MD, has been providing goats and sheep for sacrificial slaughter since 2007. He was encouraged to tap into the Muslim market by his Kuwaiti son-in-law.
“We always try to get the highest quality of animal, since its a sacrifice. We’ve always taken great pride in having animals without blemish,” says Kavanagh. The animals are purchased from local area producers in Maryland and Virginia, who maintain high standards for their livestock. They are fed a high quality hay and grain diet, and are not administered any antibiotics or hormones. Once at the LambCo facility, the animals are kept clean and dry in specifically designed structures and are taken care of in the most humane way. The slaughtering facility itself is impressively clean and hygienic.
Lambco’s animals range in weight from 70 to 100lbs, with goats selling for an average of $350 and lambs for $375. “At Eid it’s the largest demand for lambs in the world,” says Kavanagh. “Right now we are at an all time world record high. I know the economy is bad [but] at least when you come here you see what you eat.”
“There is a world of difference between frozen lamb and goat and fresh lamb and goat,” adds Kavanagh. “It’s unbelievable.” Kavanagh explains that there is an “animal scale” from 1 to 3 describing the quality of the animal in reference to the amount of meat or flesh it has, with 1 being the best. All the animals Kavanagh buys are class 1.
Around 150 Muslims come for slaughtering at Lambco during Eid. “Some people get one, others get a couple of animals,” says Kavanagh. On Eid day, Kavanagh says he opens from 6am and the work continues until all their customers are done. They follow the same routine for the next two days, until sundown on the third day, when they finish up the Eid-ul-Adha slaughtering.
Kavanagh says when he had started he was expecting to get a lot more business throughout the year from the Muslim community. This aspect has been a challenge for the family-run business. Though they do a “lot of aqiqahs” through the year, “Muslim business is “not nearly as much as we would like,” says Kavanagh.
“I am looking for a Muslim gentleman to work weekends with us and help with networking [within the Muslim community],” says Kavanagh. “It can be very rewarding for everybody.”
When asked what aspect of his work he enjoys the most, Kavanagh said, “Probably the most rewarding thing about it is the people you meet. I’ve met some very fascinating people.”
Some other options for area Muslims include a halal farm and slaughtering facility owned by Abdur Rahman Eisa in Dumfries, Virginia, and Brian Schiner’s Wagon Wheel Ranch, located in Mount Airy, Maryland. While some area Muslims purchase live animals and slaughter them in their backyards, community leaders say local ordinances must be followed, and neighbors must be respected, especially on Eid.
[CONTACT INFO UPDATED: Saturday, November 5, 2011]
Eid Al-Adha Zabih Haji Farm:
Phone: 301-910-2240 or 202-543-5243
Email: hadjifarm@gmail.com [CORRECTED]
Address: 24235 Burnt Hill Rd, Clarksburg, MD 20871 [CORRCETED]
Lambco, LLC:
Phone: 443-974-0543 or 410-775-0546
Email: lambcomd@yahoo.com
Address: 722 Green Valley Road, New Windsor, MD 21776
Website: www.lambcomd.com
Eisa Livestock:
Phone: 301-476-8096
Email: japarona@hotmail.com
Website: www.beltwayfarm.com
Address: 17602 Mine Rd, Dumfries, VA 22025
Irie Farm:
Address: 16004 Ashbox Road, Brandywine MD 20613. From 495 take exit 7A (Branch Ave) to Waldorf 9.7 miles to left on Brandywine Rd. (Rte. 381) 4.5 miles to right on Ashbox Rd. first driveway on the left.
Phone: 301-873-0203
Email: iriefarm@verizon.net
Naturally Raised: goat, sheep, chicken, guinea fowl and beef.
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