Intolerance is increasingly becoming the order of the day. The controversy created over halal meat has been gaining traction with the “ban” imposed on the sale of meat in parts of Delhi. It was in Karnataka, where the hijab issue was recently raked up, that the right-wing groups called for a boycott of halal meat during Varshadodaku, the day after Ugadi when most Hindus have a non-vegetarian feast. Taking his cue from the call, the Mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mukesh Suryan has asked for the closure of all meat shops in his jurisdiction during the entire period of Navaratri from April 2 to 11. East Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal has also given a similar directive. In his order to his commissioner, the SDMC mayor claimed that “devotees observe a strict vegetarian diet and forgo even the use of onion and garlic." What’s worse, he said, “the sight of meat being sold in the open would make them uncomfortable. This will even affect their religious beliefs and sentiments." How conceited the mayor is can be gauged from the fact that Hindus have been celebrating Navaratri for centuries without any complaint about the sale of meat. BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma has gone one step ahead to demand such a ban all over the country. Reports have pointed out that many meat sellers in Delhi downed their shutters for fear of the right-wingers, although they are yet to receive an official order. The reason why such demands have come from Karnataka and New Delhi is not far to seek. Elections to the local bodies in the Capital are due. In fact, the BJP fears that the Aam Aadmi Party is likely to win these elections. That is why it has come up with the stratagem of postponing the elections on the plea that it wants all the three municipal corporations in Delhi to merge into one as was the case earlier. With an electoral defeat staring the BJP in the eye, it wants to polarise the voters and found a convenient tool in meat. The motive of the Sangh Parivar in Karnataka, where its government is yet to gain political legitimacy, is similar.
What is overlooked is that the calls and demands for boycotts are a negation of the Muslims’ right to do a legitimate trade like the sale of meat. When they are forced to close their shops for nine days, thousands of people who are in this business lose their livelihood. Who will compensate them for their loss, particularly when they are not rich and have little resources to fall back upon? When the mayor in Delhi says that onion and garlic, too, are not used during Navaratri, is he prepared to ban the sale of these vegetables? He will not be able to do that because it will hurt the interests of the majority community. This year, Navaratri coincides with the beginning of Ramzan. How will the right-wingers react if Muslims in Kashmir were to ask for a ban on the sale of all food items to the tourists between sunrise and sunset when Muslims don’t eat any food? Christians generally do not eat fish, meat, and milk products during the 50-day lent season that concludes on Easter. Will the mayors of Delhi order the closure of all shops that sell these products?
There are communities that do not eat any food items like onions, potatoes, and yams that grow in the soil. Can they expect the government to enforce their preferences for food on the majority community? They cannot. People have the option to eat any food. Muslims eat only halal meat because they claim that Islamic slaughter is designed to reduce pain and distress in the animal. The severing of the head in one stroke is how jhatka meat is made.
The Sikhs have their religious injunction against halal meat. However, the fact of the matter is that nobody — neither Muslim nor Hindu — can distinguish between cooked halal meat and jhatka meat. This itself brings home the point of how farcical the meat controversy is. Nonetheless, it is fair to demand that shops selling meat should display whether it is halal or jhatka. India is one of the world’s largest meat exporters. A majority of those who own them are non-Muslims. The call for a ban on the sale of meat during Navaratri does not affect them. Nor does the government consider the foreign exchange received through the sale of meat and meat products “haram”. The meat exported from India clearly mentions whether it is halal or jhatka. During the pre-independence days, separate tents existed for halal and jhatka meat-eaters at the all-India Congress party sessions. It seems political parties are bent on raking up non-issues to divert the attention of the people from the real bread and butter issues. The tragedy is that they succeed.
