God Hates Pigeon Genitals

[onager]

18. Banning pigeon breeding? That'll screw up their religious festivals.

Especially the two biggies - Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the "Feast of the Sacrifice" when Sunni Muslims go on pilgrimage to Mecca.

Poorer Muslims raise or buy pigeons to celebrate those festivals because they can't afford anything else. I've eaten "squab" several times at the big evening meals during Ramadan, when they stop fasting for the day and have the huge evening meal.

The kind of meat purchased for the festivals is a good indicator of socio-economic status. Pretty much like Baptists getting new clothes for Easter and showing them off at church.

The 1%-er Muslims will buy a whole cow or young camel. Or several family members will go in together to do so. Middle-class-ish people, a sheep or goat. And at the bottom of the food chain (literally in this case), those sexy pigeons.