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Come Eid Ul Azha or Bakrid, Hindu
Muslim communal tension starts building up in the country. The
prime reason is: Muslims belief in sacrificing animals during this
festival and some Hindu group's recently started opposition to this
tradition, leading to communal tension and dampening the spirit of
festivity.
The practice of animal sacrifice is pre Islamic tradition. Most
religions in the world have this tradition, including Hinduism.
It’s incorporated into the Islamic belief system due to the virtue
of making sacrifices. The practice of animal sacrifice marks the
end of Haj pilgrimage of the Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
As an act of religious piety, every divot Muslim, who can afford,
is supposed to make animal sacrifice. This tradition is going on
since centuries in our country and there is little fuss being made
about it. However, this is not the case in recent times
everywhere. The delicate interfaith relationship is being tampered
by some misguided youth who have taken upon themselves the mantle
to oppose this Muslim tradition.
According to reports coming from Hyderabad, an organization called
Hindu Vahini has sprung up spewing venom against the Muslim’s
practice of animal sacrifice. In the name of Animal protection the
cadres of Hindu Vahini are not only attacking the traders who are
brining animals from the rural areas to the cities, but are also
confiscating their cattle. It is reported that these self proclaimed guardian of Hindu faith
are also reselling such animals and operating as thugs under the
garb of Hinduism.
The activities of Hindu Vahini have compelled the traders of
animals, many of them being non Muslims to seek protection from
the police. In Hyderabad they have petitioned to control the
activities of Hindu Vahini cadres, else there could be communal
flare up in entire state. They have warned that the way things are
shaping up, it will be difficult for them to continue this trade.
This is one facet of this story, the other is, certain Hindu
Vahini leaders like Raja Singh (Corporator) TDP party and Y Kuntum
(Corporator) BJP, have given hate speeches regarding the Bakrid
festival. In fact while making anti Islamic statements, some
leaders of Hindu Vahini have openly called for enrollment of a
Hindu Army.
The local police did not take action to such blatant communal
propaganda in spite of the complaint being made. Some Muslims have
questioned why permission to such Hindu zealots was given to
organize public meetings. Every one knows that hate speeches may
lead to communal clashes and this was what happened last year in
Hyderabad during the Bakrid festival. Again this year, a similar
atmosphere is being built and no one has taken any note of it so
far.
This is not an isolated case of Hyderabad alone. Last year, at
Jama Masjid in Delhi a notice stuck on its walls that narrated the
plight of the animal traders lamenting the hardship they faced to
bring the animals to the national capital. They blamed the some
anti social elements objecting to their trade, the police
harassing them and the huge expenses on transportation to ferry
such animals, all leading to the exorbitant prices of the
sacrificing animals.
There are few nuggets of this story that needs to be analyzed. One
is the argument of the animal lovers, who do not want cruelty
against animals and feel that animals need to be protected. They
are driven by compassion and equate animals with human beings. If
they are allowed to have their way, all the carnivores’ animals
would go hungry and the entire biodiversity may turn topsy-turvy.
It would be difficult to convince such folks as such arguments can
go on till cows come home!
However, the most important feature of this discussion is the
growing radicalization of the many Hindu youths, who are seeking a
sense of identity by taking up such issues. With their own
interpretation of Hinduism and mixing it with nationalism, they
are making an explosive cocktail, swelling the ranks of Hindu
Vahini. This is really a dangerous portent for the country its
interfaith communal harmony.
The most conspicuous thing about it is the so called mainstream
media, that goes gung-ho about the radicalization of Muslim youth
is maintaining a conspiracy of silence about such right wing Hindu
organization like Hindu Vahini.
In this country every one has the freedom to practice one’s
religion and no one has to right to dictate how others should
pray. Muslims are highly conscious about Hindu’s sensitivities
towards ‘Cow’ and avoid its sacrifice as mark of respect. However,
now when even the sacrifice of other animals are being objected,
its time to blow the whistle. This madness has to be dealt with
firmness; else it will rip apart the communal mosaic of the
country.
In Indian country side many farmers, mostly non Muslims, take to
the rearing of the animals for the purpose of selling them during
the Bakrid festival. Similarly, many traders, mostly non Muslims,
take up this job and trade in animals during Bakrid festivities.
The activities of some Hindu youth are hurting their right to
livelihood. Are we going to mortgage this country to such anti
social elements, and allow them to have a free run? It’s high time
to take a call on such issues. What are we doing with the freedom
of this country?
An old warning of Jawaharlal Nehru sounds appropriate here;
“Communalism is the single most subversive ideology in
contemporary India. While all communalism is bad, minority
communalism is at least born out of fear but majority communalism
is nothing but sheer fascism”, he once observed.
The appropriate punch line for this theme could be; “Until lions
have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the
hunter.”
Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be
contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com
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