In Loni Muslim families celebrate Bakraid with slices of goat-shaped cakes after BJP MLA's appeal

     Ghaziabad (UP), May 28 (PTI) Goat-shaped cakes replaced animal sacrifice for several Muslim families in Ghaziabad’s Loni this Eid-ul-Azha, as residents embraced an “eco-friendly” celebration after an appeal by BJP MLA Nand Kishore Gurjar.
     Videos from different parts of Loni surfaced on social media showing people cutting cakes shaped like goats or decorated with goat images while celebrating the festival together.
     Local residents, including Khalid, Chand, Arbaz, Kamruddin Ansari, Haji Liaqat and Haji Babu, welcomed the MLA's appeal and said environmental protection and communal harmony were a collective responsibility.
     "Change with time is necessary and such initiatives help maintain love, brotherhood and social harmony," some residents said.
     Gurjar congratulated members of the Muslim community in Loni and described the initiative as "historic and exemplary".
     "The message of eco-friendly Eid will inspire not only Loni but the entire society," the MLA said, adding that festivals symbolise peace, love and brotherhood.
     In a video statement, Gurjar said Muslims in Loni had been celebrating Eid in an eco-friendly way for several years by cutting goat-shaped cakes.
     "This message will go not only across Uttar Pradesh and the country, but the whole world," he said, while also linking animal slaughter to pollution and health concerns.
     One video showed a Muslim family cutting a cake shaped like a goat, with an elderly family member saying they had fulfilled the MLA's appeal by celebrating Bakrid in that manner.
     Several other residents were also seen sharing and eating similar cakes during the celebrations, while refraining from sacrificing animals, according to videos circulating on social media.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)