KUCHING: What began as a religious ritual became a meaningful learning experience for dozens of young volunteers during the NEXGEN Petra Jaya sacrificial ritual programme (ibadah korban) at Kampung Samariang Pinggir today (May 8).
Beginning at 8 am, the event saw the slaughtering of two cows, followed by a series of community-driven activities including meat cutting (melapah), communal cooking (merewang), and the distribution of meat to 117 households in the village.
NEXGEN Petra Jaya representative Sharifah Nurul Syahrina Wan Sulaiman said over 60 participants took part in the event which included villagers, students, and volunteers.
“The objective of this korban programme is not only to fulfil the religious ritual but also to expose new volunteers to the hands-on experience of how a korban is done.
“Many of them have never witnessed or participated in this before and this is also a way to build stronger ties between the village community and university students.
“We’re glad to see people of different races and religions joining us today, it’s an opportunity to share the true meaning of korban with everyone,” she said.
She said this when met with reporters at the NEXGEN Reachout! Qurban AidilAdha held at the grounds of Surau Darul Amal, Kampung Samariang Pinggir today (May 8).
The event was graced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who participated in the symbolic meat-cutting and the distribution of meat to village leaders, surau representatives, women leaders, and student delegates from UNIMAS, Cyberjaya College Kuching, and NEXGEN volunteers.
In total, about 160 kilograms of meat were shared with the households and volunteers, benefiting around 150 people.
Sharifah added that on the same day, another NEXGEN team carried out a separate korban event at India Mosque Kuching, where three cows were slaughtered and the meat was distributed to the local community.
“This dual-location approach was in response to a special request from Kampung Samariang Pinggir,” she added.
For the record, NEXGEN is a youth movement under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
For this programme, NEXGEN Petra Jaya worked with the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) of Kampung Samariang Pinggir and Surau Darul Amal, as well as NGOs like KJM and the local Community Residents’ Committee (KRT).
