The following article is a reader’s response to a piece titled ‘Don’t Slaughter Goats Inside My Housing Society!’ that recently appeared on The Quint.
I must admit that my first reaction to Antonette Pinto’s article was that of retaliation because it did reek of onslaught. But then my Islamic and Gandhian belief system reminded me, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”
Hence, here is my humble attempt to objectively place forth a collective viewpoint.
The word society means “a group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social grouping” – and the term has a definite democratic angle to it. So, putting forth a dictum like “don’t slaughter goats inside my housing society” sounds a bit unilateral and dictatorial.
What is even more amusing is that she mentions that she was expecting the goats to be taken to the slaughter house for slaughtering on the day of Eid. Really? I find that amusing because anybody born and brought up in a multi-religious, multi-cultural, democratic country like India ought to know that goats are slaughtered within residential areas during the three Eid days, and this has been a practice since time immemorial.
And that the courts give permission for that. One may disagree with this law of the land. For that, there is a separate channel through which this ought to be taken up, and not by displaying ignorance about popular practice and legal sanction. While some sections of society dislike roadside religious noise and some other sections may dislike alcohol-induced revelry in other festivals, the law of the land takes a rational and democratic call and law-abiding citizens abide by it.
And make no mistake, it is not out of choice, but lack of it that pushes people to use open premises for Qurbani.
Does anyone realise that an infrastructure that can enable Qurbani of all Muslims in a single place does not exist in Mumbai nor in any other city in India?
Hence, whining in public about a well thought of practice was anyway an exercise in futility. No wonder it got little support from the police, and other than being a nuisance factor, it achieved little else.
On the other hand, will any intellectual, rational individual disagree that being part of a solution is a more progressive outlook than being part of a problem?
One could have been a part of the solution by debating on the ramifications of the practice and expecting better organisation and decorum. That would have been an intelligent and result-oriented posture.
Invite a discussion around hygiene, non-obtrusiveness and execution in a controlled environment – and you have all our ears and whole-hearted support.
That’s a rational expectation of a civilised society, not a dictatorial ban on someone’s belief. One man’s poison is another man’s cure. If one notices, the above points would anyway have answered concerns around stink, filth and unsavoury visuals and animal shrieks.
But I have a much larger concern that I want to bring public attention to. By painting a one-sided picture, pasting misleading visuals, half-facts and a graphically exaggerated view of the situation, and by boiling a point that could have been otherwise resolved amicably, a potential situation of communal disharmony faces us.
In a housing society with a majority muslim population, this constant chiding and instigating will only flare misgivings and anger. And that’s just the fodder that politically motivated anti-social elements feed upon to create discord in society. Read history – mere rumours of cow/pig fat on cartridges gave rise to the Indian Rebellion of 1857! This fear is larger than the fear of what will happen next Eid and one with potential of immediate ramification. I pray to the same lord in whose name we made the goat sacrifices that it does not happen. But who is responsible if it does?
Indian history has it, questioning and obstructing the core belief system of any religion has never borne any results. Eliciting better execution has!
Hence my humble plea – please step forward for a meaningful dialogue of sane expectations – and not illogical slander. In response to the fear of next Eid voiced in the article, I put forth a dream for next Eid.
Next Eid-ul-Adha, we organise a zero stink, zero filth, zero sound and private execution of Qurbani, followed by the entire society (all faiths) joining for a sumptuous meal! (Allow us to be the hosts and see the gregarious side of our nature).
That’s the dream that I will live for – and that’s the India of my dreams. And all Indians are welcome to share this dream.
‘Unka jo kaam hai woh ahl-e-siyasat jaane (Let the politicians take care of their business)
Mera paigham mohabbat hai jahan tak pahunche (My message is only of love, as far as it reaches.)’
– Jigar Moradabadi’.
PS: Please do not write another article in response to this because that will only be a debate on who is the better Wordsmith, not a step towards an amicable resolution.
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