By Afroz Alam Sahil
Festivals are meant to bring people together, fill their hearts with happiness, and promote brotherhood and harmony in society. However, festivals in India have now become a matter of anxiety for Muslims. They were already apprehensive of their fellow Hindus, but now they fear their own festivals as well. Just think about what memories the upcoming Eid al-Adha will bring for the family of Mohammad Farid of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. For them, Eid will now signify a day of mourning.
Violence on Eid al-Adha is not a new thing in India. As it approaches, there is a resurgence of concern for animals, even among Hindus who sacrifice animals in temples or consume meat during their festival, Holi. Cow vigilantes become active on the streets. The leaders, who are never tired of saying that ‘the practice of sacrifice in Sanatan Dharma (the religion Hindus follow) has been there since time immemorial’, also start issuing statements regarding Eid al-Adha, urging that goats should not be sacrificed in public places. Ironically, those who openly support anti-Muslim sentiments argue that such practices could incite communal tension in society. Thus, a sudden display of concern for animals emerges among many of India’s Hindutva extremists.
This time, there has been an increase in hate crimes surrounding Eid al-Adha. In fact, it began ten days before the incident of lynching by cow vigilantes. And even after Eid al-Adha, the cycle of hate crimes and hate speech in the name of cows persists. Simultaneously, the authorities are busy implementing what they call ‘bulldozer justice’. A distinct pattern has emerged this time: in many places, Hindutva extremists claim that Muslims discarded meat or beef remains, thereby spoiling the communal atmosphere and making Muslims targets. Police investigations often assume that only Muslims could have discarded the meat or its remains. Whereas in the last few years, many such incidents have come to light, in which people of Hindutva organizations themselves tried to create an atmosphere against Muslims by throwing beef in the temple. In fact, to defame and target Muslims, they have also carried out the incident of breaking the idol present in the temple.
The Indian Constitution guarantees the right of every individual to practice their religion. Yet, numerous instances have surfaced where efforts were made to deprive Indian Muslims of this right. Here, I have endeavored to document some of the incidents that occurred during, before, and after Eid al-Adha across the country. These are merely the cases that have gained attention on social media or have been reported by various websites.
Just before Eid al-Adha
— Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh): In Daravnagar, two days before Eid al-Adha, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad tried to create a tense atmosphere in the area. After that, police officials spoke to both Hindu and Muslim communities, and it was decided that no one would sacrifice a big animal (such as an ox or buffalo).
This story was originally published in beyondheadlines.in. Read the full story here.