As Eid ul Azha draws near, a heated national debate has erupted over the centuries-old Islamic practice of qurbani (animal sacrifice), with Muslim leaders pushing back against what they call the BJP’s “selective outrage” and “seasonal morality.”
Prominent Islamic scholar Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali underscored the religious sanctity of the practice, stating, “Qurbani is not just a tradition, it is an act of worship ordained by Allah. It is obligatory for every financially able Muslim during Eid ul Azha.”
The conversation turned sharper after AIMIM spokesperson Aseem Waqar posed a piercing question: “Where does this love for animals disappear the rest of the year?” He emphasized the scale of India’s meat consumption, pointing out that “25 crore goats and sheep and more than 350 crore chickens are slaughtered every year in India without any noise. Yet, suddenly during Bakrid, there’s outrage?”
Waqar didn’t hold back, calling out the hypocrisy of several BJP leaders, including MLA Nand Kishore Gurjar, Telangana MLA T Raja, and Maharashtra’s Nitish Rane, who have labeled qurbani as cruel and demanded bans. Waqar countered: “If the BJP is truly concerned about cruelty, why does the government continue to issue licenses for meat exports?”
India, one of the world’s largest beef exporters, ships meat to over 35 countries, generating a business worth ₹25,000 crore annually. Notably, many of the largest beef processing units operate out of Maharashtra, the home state of some of the BJP’s most vocal critics of qurbani.
Pointing to demographic facts, Waqar remarked, “Muslims form just 14% of India’s population, yet 60% of the country’s meat consumption comes from non-Muslims. Why aren’t their dietary habits scrutinized?” He went a step further, demanding, “If cow protection is a priority, declare the cow the national animal through legislation. Don’t just politicize our festivals.”
This fresh round of controversy over religious rights, animal ethics, and political hypocrisy is likely to intensify as Bakrid approaches. The question that remains: is this truly about animal welfare—or another chapter in the weaponization of faith for political mileage?
