Eid Ul Azha, or the ‘festival of sacrifice’, an important festival in the Islamic Calender that marks the end of the Annual Pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, known among the muslims as the “Hajj”.

During this three-day festival, muslims are mandated to slaughter designated animals such as sheep, goat, cows, and camels – depending on the availability and cultural norms of the region. All other animals’ sacrifice is forbidden during this festival.

This ‘sacrifice’ is carried out in commemoration of Prophet Ebrahim’s (Abraham) (PBUH) readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. But just as he was about to run the knife over his son’s throat, the son was promptly replaced by a sheep, and thus, this is how, or rather, why Muslims carry out this ritual.

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A rare view: An exhibition of vintage cars kicked off the Shanaakht (Identity) Festival on Monday 9^th November at Karachi, Pakistan.

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Munawwar Maseeh is an unassuming, taciturn kind of a man. He is the gardener /gatekeeper at St Andrew’s Church in Saddar, Karachi. He’s been serving this place of worship for several years. He is even fond of the pigeons that often merrily perch themselves on the church gables like star-crossed lovers and the squirrels that scurry across the semi-verdant lawns to evade prying eyes.
Munawwar Maseeh has a 19-year-old son, Andrew Munawwar, who is a second-year commerce student at a local college. Unlike his father, he likes to converse in a relatively buoyant manner. If you happen to visit the building and bump into Andrew, he’ll gladly help you get acquainted with the church premises.

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