Algeria’s president made a surprise announcement. He plans to import a staggering one million sheep. The livestock are needed to steady costs, meet soaring demand, and calm tensions during an upcoming holiday.
Eid al-Adha is an Islamic holiday. This year, it will take place in early June. The holiday honors Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Genesis 22 tells us that God provided a ram in Isaac’s place. Muslims worldwide purchase livestock for sacrifice during Eid.
Instead of the Bible, Muslims point to a passage in the Qur’an as precedent for the mass sacrifices. Most also believe it is Ishmael, not Isaac, whom Abraham placed on the altar—since many Arab people groups trace their lineage through Ishmael.
Eid is a celebrated tradition in Muslim-majority Algeria. Yet it is a pricey one. During last year’s Eid al-Adha, sheep prices skyrocketed to nearly $1,500 each in some markets. That’s equivalent to 10 months of an Algerian minimum wage worker’s earnings. Many Algerians have in recent years been forced to forgo the cherished tradition.
Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instructed his ministers to launch a massive sheep-procuring effort. His plan is designed to make the holiday more feasible for those who otherwise couldn’t afford sheep. The government is hoping to calm social unrest. At the same time, it is cracking down on resistance, journalists, and people critical of the military-backed government.
North Africa, where Algeria is located, is enduring its seventh year of extreme heat and below-average rainfall. The record drought has shrunk harvests and driven up the price of animal feed. Lack of food is affecting livestock throughout the country, including the northern Algerian highlands. Breeders there raise sheep revered for their quality.
Algeria’s government has typically been a major force in the economy. In the past, it has imported small numbers of livestock to ensure affordable options for low-income citizens. Last year, it sourced 100,000 sheep from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and Spain for sale in state-run stores.
This year’s sheep plan aims to prevent price spikes and shortages that could put the ritual sacrifice out of reach for most Algerian families.
The Ministries of Agriculture and Trade will begin seeking global sources to meet Tebboune’s sheep target.
High food prices have sometimes incited widespread political anger in other parts of North Africa. Algeria isn’t the only country taking steps ahead of the holiday. The import plan announcement came just 10 days after neighboring Morocco’s King Mohammed VI offered his subjects a reprieve from the costly ritual. The king said in February that the slaughter could burden low-income Moroccans. As the highest religious authority under Moroccan law, the king said his subjects could skip it.
Christians know that the sacrifices of the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross. There is no longer any need to sacrifice animals as atonement for sin or as a symbol of commitment to God. Sinful humans cannot fulfill God’s requirements, no matter how hard we try. Jesus fulfills them on our behalf.
Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” — Genesis 22:8
