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Every year in Paris, around 100,000 sheep are ritually slaughtered for the three-day celebration of the Muslim festival, Aid el Kebir -- which announces the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. The slaughter denotes the prophet Abraham, who was ready to sacrifice his son in obedience to his God. Here, at the Port d'Evry, tents cover a corral that can accommodate 5,000 sheep. According to a 1997 decree, all ritual animal sacrifices in France must be performed in a proper slaughtering facility. At this one, customers are assigned a number and wait some two hours or more for their sheep. In the future, the facility intends to include a functional video system so that waiting customers may follow the ritual from beginning to end outside.
Photo: Quidu Noel/ Gamma Presse
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