Religious Affairs Minister Addresses Prabowo's Eid al-Adha Sacrifice Budget: No One Should Go Hungry

JAKARTA, Kompas.com - Minister of Religious Affairs (Menag) and Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar commented on President Prabowo Subianto’s Rp100 billion budget for 1,098 sacrificial cattle. “If the President wishes to direct the allocation elsewhere, there is no issue. The purpose of Eid al-Adha, like Eid al-Fitr, is that no one should go hungry or without food on the holiday, as stated by Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” Nasaruddin said at Istiqlal Mosque on Thursday. He added that zakat fitrah aims to ensure all societal groups receive meat from the slaughtered animals. “For Eid al-Adha, the key component is animal protein. It is expected that during the sacrifice season, no one goes without meat,” he said. “Whoever needs it, there is a hadith that a Jewish woman was hungry on that day; the Prophet said no one should go hungry. Regardless of religion, take it,” he said. Previously, Deputy Minister of State Secretariat Juri Ardiantoro stated that the distribution of sacrificial cattle from Prabowo to the public is part of the Presidential Social Assistance Program (Banpres). Juri stressed that Banpres has been ongoing for years. “The purpose of the President’s sacrificial cattle is government assistance to the public. The aim is for those in need to celebrate Eid al-Adha by slaughtering sacrificial animals together,” Juri said in a statement on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. According to Juri, as a form of public assistance, the use of Banpres budget allocation is standard practice and has been part of government operations in previous years. Juri stated that personally, Prabowo also performs the sacrificial ritual using his own funds. Prabowo’s personal sacrificial animals are also slaughtered and distributed to the public.