By IANS,
New Delhi : The Deoband-based Islamic seminary’s plea to refrain from cow slaughter and beef eating has been warmly received with people saying the gesture will go a long way in further cementing Hindu-Muslim brotherhood.
“The appeal to refrain from cow slaughter and beef eating is in tandem with India’s secular ethos and sentiments. It is a welcome move that will go a long way in bridging the gap between Hindus and Muslims of the country,” Harcharan Singh Josh, a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), told IANS here.
“In India, where unity thrives in diversity, the people should learn to respect each other’s religious sentiments. Such gestures should be replicated in our behaviour as well and, if possible, reciprocated as well. Thus, we can contribute to the country’s peace and harmony.”
In an edict issued Friday, the Deoband-based Darul Uloom called upon the Muslims to “refrain from cow slaughter, beef eating or trading in cow” saying that the “meat eaters can opt for buffaloes, goats, chicken and fish. Shariat doesn’t allow beef-eating if prohibited under law.”
The fatwa has come in the wake of a query from Haji Mohammad Israr, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, about whether Islam permitted cow slaughter, trading in bulls and calves, though there is a ban on cow slaughter in the state.
“It is a right move in the right direction. We should learn to appreciate the values and traits of the larger society. Though Hindus and Muslims have been living in amity for long, there is always scope for greater bonhomie among them,” Ash Narain Roy of the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) here told IANS.
The fresh edict was issued after a committee looked into the matter and came to the conclusion that “Shariat does not allow anything that is against the law of the land” even though Islam permitted beef eating.
The seminary had hit the headlines in February this year after it issued a fatwa against any kind of violence including terrorism, which amounted to be “anti-Islamic and anti-national.”
“There is merit in the edict and will certainly have positive impact on the society. There is need to respect every religious sentiment in whatever way we can. India is like a joint family where the varied needs of all members should be taken care of,” said Satya Bahin, a former parliamentarian and currently member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
According to official estimates – and the 2001 Census, the minority communities account for 18.42 percent of India’s total population. Of this, over 130 million are Muslims.
“Cow slaughter was prohibited in 1955 in the country. One should respect the constitutional norms. I do not think that Muslims will have any problem in abiding with the edict which will also improve Hindu-Muslim amity,” Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Maulana Mahmood Madani told IANS.