Uttar Pradesh fatwa on eating beef, Excalibur, July, 2008

July 12, 2008

'Eating beef is un-Islamic if there is ban'

(Excerpts)

27 Apr 2008, 0339 hrs IST ,Manjari Mishra & Sameer Arshad ,TNN

LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: " Muslims must refrain from cow slaughter, beef eating or

trading in cow hide, " Islamic seminary Darul-Uloom, Deoband, issued an edict

on Friday.

" Meat eaters can opt for buffaloes, goats, chicken and fish. Shariat doesn't

allow beef-eating if it's prohibited under law, " Deoband's fatwa department

head Mufti Habibur Rehman said.

Rehman, fatwa department's head for more than two decades, issued the fatwa

in response to a query by a Muzaffarnagar resident, Haji Mohammad Israr. A

small time farmer, Israr, had asked whether Islam permits cow slaughter,

trading in cows, bulls and calves and use of its skin for business.

Israr wrote there are many beef eaters in UP and butchers are doing a

thriving business despite state government banning cow slaughter.

*The Centre banned cow slaughter in 1955. UP issued an ordinance in December

2001 declaring cow slaughter illegal. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh

Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 2002, making the offence punishable by

imprisonment from seven to 10 years or a fine upto Rs 10,000. *

After a three-member committee looked into the issue, Mufti Rehman said

Shariat disallowed anything against law. " Cow slaughter, therefore, was

" najayaz " even though Islam allows beef-eating, " the fatwa said. It said any

act which brings bad name to the community or evokes possibility of

imprisonment is " haram " should be avoided.

The community leaders have welcomed the fatwa calling it an important

development for the Hindu-Muslim amity.

" The Indian Constitution has given us equal rights including the freedom to

religion and it's important for us to respect it and abide by its cow

slaughter prohibition. Muslims around the country should ensure that they

abide by the law prohibiting cow slaughter, " Rajya Sabha member and Jamiat

Ulama-I-Hind general secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani said.

Excalibur, July, 2008, Quarterly Newsletter of People for

Animals, Calcutta

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