Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, August 11: Protesting against the continuous attack on Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes in different parts of the country, an eminent Muslim organisation on Thursday demanded the central government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impose a complete ban on beef export.
Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), headed by renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, made the demand at a public meeting here at the Constitution Club.
“If you kill a human in the name of cow protection it means you don’t even love the animals and are not a human being. Mostly the non-Muslims own the beef export companies. Government is not for a religion, it is for all citizens of the country,” said Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan.
Taking jibe at PM Modi, he said, “I congratulate PM Saab. Before election, he spoke to bring pink revolution but in the last two years the meat export has doubled. Government has no food policy for the people.”
Maulana Raza Khan announced that he is writing a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking ban on beef export. At the end of the event, he distributed the three-page letter signed by him.
“We would like to express our apprehensions with respect to the atrocities, suppression and discrimination meted out to the Muslim minority, on the pretext of cow rotection, beef eating…It is our humble submissions that the beef exports should completely be banned in India to curb the cruelty against the cattles, more articularly who give us dairy products. It is hoped that such action shall bring peace in the society. It is duty of the Government to protect the life of every citizen of India,” Maulana Raza Khan said in the letter.
Besides Raza Khan, eminent personalities who addressed the program included Congress leader Digvijay Singh, Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Shahi Imam, Masjid Fatehpuri, Muslim Majlise Mushawarat president Navaid Hamid, Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, Editor, The Milli Gazette and film actor Raza Murad.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh while attacking the so-called cow protectors said that if they really want to serve cows, they should take care of them even after they do not give milk.
“if BJP really wants to do Gau Sewa (service to cow) all its gau rakshak dals (Cow Vigilante groups) should start to take care of all those cows when they stop to give milk and get freed,” said Singh.
He also said that most of the beef exporters are Hindus and BJP is just doing cow politics for communal polarisation.
“Most of the beef exporters are Hindus not Muslims. By doing all this BJP is playing communal politics to divide the society. And today when everyone is demanding to ban meat export, BJP should not have any hesitation to do so,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Navaid Hamid, President, All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat said this convention will decide the future of democracy. He challenged PM Modi to ban meat export.
Tauqeer Raza Khan speaking. Navaid Hamid, Digvijay Singh, Raza Murad and others at Constitution Club in New Delhi on 11 Aug 2016. (Photo – IndiaTomorrow.net)
Dr Zafarul Islam Khan mentioned names of some Hindus who are top beef exporters in the country. He stressed that the word ‘beef’ is being misused.
“The word beef is being misused. Actually there is no other word for buffalo meat in English. And people are also being confused by the propaganda by using this word. And there are government officers in all authorized slaughtering houses, so there is no possibility of cow slaughtering there. This is totally baseless that meat exporters are Muslims. Most of the meat exporters are . If PM really believes in Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas, he needs to do Sabka Khayal,” said Dr Khan.
At a rally in Telangana last week, PM Modi had condemned attacks in the name of cow. He had said most of the so-called cow protectors are criminals by night and cow protectors in the day.
“The idea behind this protest is to take an initiative to make people aware and send a message to the government about so-called cow protectors, since the ‘holy cow’ is being used to propagate hatred and target Muslims and Dalits,” said IMC.
Two Dalit brothers were reportedly stripped, tied to a tree and thrashed for skinning a dead cow on Monday night in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Both have been admitted at a hospital. In mid-July, four Dalits were brutally assaulted by cow vigilantes in Una town of Gujarat. This led to a nationwide outrage among Dalits.
