No Sheep? No Problem

In the run-up to Eid Al-Adha, livestock markets across the MENA region are often bustling with families coming together to pick their sheep for the celebrations, a busy and lively annual scene. This bustle, however, did not transpire in Morocco, as Moroccans have been urged not to slaughter sheep this Eid. 

Earlier this year, King Mohammad VI urged Moroccans to refrain from slaughtering sheep this Eid, a practice that holds great religious sentiment amongst Muslim populations. This, King Mohammad asserted, is a necessary response to the ongoing drought which has plagued North Africa for the past six years. In contrast, neighboring country Algeria adopted a starkly different approach, opting to import 1 million sheep ahead of celebrations, a 10-fold increase from state-imported sale of sheep in 2024 that will be facilitated through nine designated ports. 

Criticism of Morocco’s response has surfaced on social media, with some complaining about Morocco’s “cancellation” of Eid, comparing Algeria’s and Morocco’s divergent approaches, and describing Algeria as “generous” in comparison. Others have questioned the religious legitimacy of this decision, a rare criticism directed towards Morocco’s king who holds the highest religious authority in the country. Although the criticism does not pose a significant threat, it draws attention to an important dimension of the country’s current and future domestic stability—that efforts to manage environmental change can provoke popular disaffection. 

Navigating environmental adaptation and social responses is likely to become necessary to Morocco’s domestic policy as the drought persists. Indeed, the “cancellation” of sacrificial practice this Eid demonstrates how responses to drought can be geopolitically politicized, with Tunisia and Algeria reaffirming that Eid will not be “cancelled” following Morocco’s announcement. 

While the full implications of this decision have yet to become clear, what is evident for now is the intertwinement between climate, political stability, and social practice and tradition—and the current and future significance of balancing these domains.