ABU DHABI // Hundreds of poor Tunisian families have received meat as part of Eid Al Adha sacrificial rite from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work in coordination with Tunisian charities.
Abdullah Al Mazrouie, the head of the foundation’s team in Tunisia, said meat was delivered to families in areas such as Al Ramadaniya village and it also handed out cash to other families to purchase sacrificial meat, the state news agency Wam reported.
The UAE charity is coordinating efforts in Tunisia with the country’s Red Crescent, Tunisian Union for Social Solidarity and other charities.
The foundation plans to expand its aid operations into other areas, said Mr Al Mazrouie.
On Eid Al Adha, Muslims sacrifice a domestic animal, give away one-third of its meat to friends and neighbours and donate one-third or more of the meat to the poor and needy.
Each year, Muslims sacrifice animals and distribute food to the needy on the first day of Eid Al Adha, which marks the end of the Haj pilgrimage. Meat is given to poor families as well as cash and clothing.
The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation was established in 2007 to help poor and needy communities by supporting educational projects in countries around the region, caring for health issues including malnutrition, child protection and the provision of safe water.
It also helps build vital infrastructure such as schools and hospitals. In order to implement these strategies, the foundation has entered into partnerships with global organisations affiliated with the United Nations and public welfare organisations.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
