One former OU Saudi Students Association member is spreading awareness about the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha, and yesterday, his efforts received a “Happy Eid” from OU President David Boren.
Eid al-Adha began Sept. 12 and will continue until the evening of Sept. 15.
Mahmood Bu Huliga, a mechanical engineering senior, spent the first day of Eid al-Adha passing out chocolate all over campus to spread awareness about the holiday. Evans Hall was one of Huliga’s stops on campus; when he stopped by, he was allowed to not only give chocolate to Boren, but to also take a video of him wishing all students a “Happy Eid al-Adha.”
“I was really happy to meet him. Even when I asked him for the video, he was happy, and he was like ‘sure, we can do that,'” Huliga said.
Huliga later posted the video on his Facebook page and has already received nearly 1,400 views in the past 24 hours. The video has even reached notable figures in the Oklahoma Muslim community, including Adam Soltani, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Oklahoma, who shared the video on his personal Facebook page.
Huliga said he found it important to promote the holiday, as some students may know about it but not the exact significance and meaning behind it.
Eid al-Adha is the second religious holiday for Muslims, and it translates to Festival of Sacrifice. It is a commemoration of the prophet Ibrahim, who showed willingness to sacrifice his only son after God asked him.
Huliga said Muslims sacrifice either a sheep or cow, and later they share a third of the animal with their neighbor and another third with the weak and poor. The holiday also encourages Muslims to give back and provide for others who are in need or less fortunate.