As the Islamic festival of ‘Eid-ul-Zuha’ or ‘Bakrid’ is around the corner, many so-called animal rights activists and people of other religions have started shouting on the merciless killing of animals on this festival. Lawyers are filing PIL’s in the courts for declaring it illegal and banning the killing of animals on the eve of Bakrid. But where were all these activists and lawyers at the time of ‘Durga-Puja’ when slaughtering of animals also took place among Hindus too?
Though India is a secular and democratic nation and there is religious freedom to everyone whether its Hindus, Muslims or any other religion. People of every religion have their right to perform their religious and cultural rituals and celebrate the festivals their way. Then why only people questions the Muslim festivals like Muharram and Eid-ul-Zuha or we call Bakrid. People call the festival of Bakrid as a merciless one, just because animals were killed on the occasion of this festival.
Why we only questions on Muslim festivals as there are many among Hindus, Sikhs too?
Questioning the merciless killing of animals is the right thing to do and definitely, it is not good for a cultural civilisation. But questioning Bakrid just because Muslims celebrate this festival is wrong, as the killing of animals is not only a ritual among Muslims only, even many different sections of Hindus and Sikhs also perform such rituals in the name of god.
Even by knowing that Hinduism and Sikhism strictly condemn and does not allow the killing of animals as any god will not be pleased to see a living being dead whether it’s humans or animals.
For example; there is a festival ‘Gadhimai Festival’ in Nepal celebrated among Hindus, as even Nepal is a largely Hindu Majority nation and in this festival lakhs of Buffaloes are slaughtered ever the fifth year in the name of Qurbani and also ‘Durga-Puja’ on which animals are also killed to please Goddess Durga.
Even there are many videos available on YouTube, in which Sikhs can also be seen Killing Rams and Goats.
However, there is another festival in Nepal in which people worship Dogs for their immense loyalty with humans. And on the other side, there is also a festival ‘Yulin Festival’ in China in which they mercilessly kill the dogs and eat their meat. However, this festival in china is widely condemned by international community.
When do one qualify to speak against these rituals?
So until or unless you didn’t completely throw this kind of rituals out your community or religion, you definitely not qualify to call same rituals of other communities wrong. Yes if your community as a whole is clear of any such activities, only then you can condemn others. Otherwise, you should stand against same such rituals among your community.
And also Muslims are also requested that if someone speaks against this, don;t consider it as an attack on the community and don’t compare it to each other as then there will be no difference between you and others. But yes, this is the right time to consider such rituals which are unacceptable to humanity.
Time to reconsider for all communities of such rituals
Talking about the Muslims, there is a significance to them about this festival which I don’t think I need to discuss as we almost all are aware of why Muslims kill animals like Rams, Goats, Ox, Camels etc. on the eve of Bakrid. But there is also a Country like Russia, where Muslims are the second largest community and they willingly stopped the killing of fully conscious animals and even the government has also banned the killing but Muslims didn’t oppose the decision.
So, in the end, I just want to say that the killing of animals in the name of ‘Qurbani’ or anyhow is wrong and we should think and reconsider such rituals as being the humans and not as Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs. No God would be happy to see the killing of its living beings to whom it has created. He would be a lot happier if we will celebrate the living of every being on this planet. After all, this planet is not only made only for humans, it is for all the species created by god. And we can’t even imagine the world without Animals, Birds and other some beautiful species.
