December 5, 2008
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Tens of thousands of central Ohio Muslims will honor the sacrifice of Abraham, who was asked to give up his son, in one of the biggest holidays on the Islamic calendar.
As many as 10,000 worshippers are expected at the Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Hilliard on Monday for Eid al-Adha.
Muslims believe that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son to prove that God was more important than Abraham's wants or needs. Abraham was prepared to do so, but at the last moment, God provided a ram to sacrifice instead.
"The idea is we should love God above all. That's the idea behind the holiday," said Asma Mobin-Uddin, head of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.