Ayodhya ‘lifts’ meat ban for Eid


Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

Ayodhaya, 23 Sep 2015: While Muslims of Musahra village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar are struggling for their right to offer qurbani (sacrifice) on Eid ul-Zuha, Ayodhya presents a contrast to the situation. 

 

There is total ban on slaughter and sale of meat throughout the year in the temple town. But this curb is unofficially lifted during three days of Eid.

 

Muslims perform qurbani as well as distribute meat. No sadhu or mahant has ever raised any objection. Nothing special about it. But, with bans becoming order of the day, Ayodhya stands out in this regard. 

 

Barring three days of Eid, even cooked meat cannot be served publicly as per an Ayodhya Municipal Board (AMB) order. 

 

Muslims residents say they have been performing qurbani without any hindrance for generations. About a 100-km away, Sant Kabir Nagar administration banned qurbani in Mushara after a riot in 2007. 

 

"In Ayodhya, there was no problem even during the peak of the Ram temple movement in the 90s and post-Babri demolition tension...there was no riot in the town," said Naseem Ansari, a teacher.

 

AMB corporator Haji Asad Ahmad said, "We have been observing qurbani in Ayodhya for as far as I remember. Muslim families do it on Eid without any fear." 

 

There are no non-vegetarian restaurants in Ayodhya. Even vegetarian food is served on Muslim dawat-e-walimas (wedding feasts) if organized outdoors. 

 

Those who want to serve non-vegetarian food either do it indoors or organise receptions in neighbouring Faizabad. "Muslims of Ayodhya never had problem following these rules," said Ansari. 

 

"It is the land of Ganga Jamuni Tahzeeb. We have been taught since our childhood to respect religious sentiments of other community. If our Muslim brothers are offering qurbani on the premises of their houses, why should we object," said Tiwari Mandir chief priest Mahant Girish Pati Tripathi. 

 

Hafiz Sayyad Akhlaq, who runs a madrassa near Babri Masjid premises, echoed Ahmad. "We have been living here since ages. We never face objections regarding qurbani from any Hindu religious leaders. Instead, they greet us." 

 

Even somebody like Mahant Ram Chandra Das, who is a strict vegetarian, takes a lenient view.

 

"We do not support violence against animals, but since qurbani is a religious ritual, we have not raised any objection over it, even though animal slaughter is banned in Ayodhya.’’ 

 

Ayodhya-resident P N Srivastava said their city has been known for religious tolerance. "This particular example of qurbani is part of its social fabric. We do not even notice it. But when the entire country is discussing some ban or the other, the temple town’s example is worth quoting.’’ 

 

Ayodhya SP (city) R S Gautam called qurbani in the temple town an old tradition. But he added they remain careful and deploy forces to check any untoward incidents. 



Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Kindly do not post any abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful material or SPAM. BelleVision.com reserves the right to block/ remove without notice any content received from users.
GTI MarigoldGTI Marigold
Anil Studio
Badminton Sports AcademyBadminton Sports Academy

Now open at Al Qusais

Veez Konkani IllustratedVEEZ Konkani

Weekly e-Magazine

New State Bank of India, Customer Service Point
Cool House ConstructionCool House Construction
Uzvaad FortnightlyUzvaad Fortnightly

Call : 91 9482810148

Your ad Here
Power Care
Ryan Intl Mangaluru
Ryan International
pearl printing
https://samuelsequeira.substack.com/publish
Omintec
Kittall.ComKittall.Com

Konkani Literature World

Konkanipoetry.com
Bluechem