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International columnist, political analyst and senior journalist Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui’s articles are published across Asia, Africa and Europe. He writes for The Moroccan Times, The Tunis Times, India Tomorrow, Kohram News, The Etemaad Urdu Daily and for news papers published from Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. You can follow him on Twitter at: @journopolana[/symple_box]
India is rocked domestically and internationally by the controversial beef ban. The ban on cow slaughter in 24 of India’s 29 states took an ugly turn when a 50-year-old Indian farmer and father of an Indian Air Force personnel Mohammed Akhlaaq was beaten and stoned to death by a vigilante Hindu mob after an announcement from the local Hindu temple in Dadri village near the Indian capital New Delhi. It was alleged that the man stored and ate beef, a claim denied by the deceased’s family. Danish, 22, another son of Akhlaaq was critically injured in the mob attack. The news in the national media of the tragic incident on Tuesday triggered panic reaction on the tourist front. There were 7,462,000 total foreign tourist arrivals in India in 2014. More tourists especially from the Arab Gulf region were expected to come after the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United Arab Emirates a couple of months ago. All that is set to change, if the beef ban and the violence continue. The events will deter beef-eating Arab Gulf tourists particularly from the U. A. E, Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia.
In May 2014, the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by the present Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power and started making changes of their choice culturally and educationally, going to the extent of deciding the menu of the people – what to eat and what not to eat!
In March 2015, the BJP-ruled western state of Maharashtra imposed a ban on cow slaughter which was followed by a northern state Haryana. Heavy penalties and restrictions like a 5- 7 year jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000 (US$ 180) have been imposed on the defaulters. Any tourist (read Muslim/Arab/Christian tourist) caught arriving with a beef snack at Mumbai International Airport can be sent to jail!
Earlier, in 2003, the then Agriculture Minister and presently the Interior Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, had tried unsuccessfully to implement the cow ban. But, Rajnath Singh, a member of the fanatic Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) has resolved to pass the nationwide legislation banning cow slaughter. This looks unlikely, as the BJP needs to beef up its strength in Rajya Sabha – the upper house of the Indian Parliament where it lacks the majority.
There is a complete cow slaughter ban in the newly- carved state of Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, national capital New Delhi, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa. However, there is no ban on cow slaughter in the Christian concentrated states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and the union territory of Lakhswadweep. West Bengal allows ‘fit for slaughter’ cows. A certificate is needed in Assam. In the beautiful and scenic southern state of Kerala with a huge concentration of Muslims and Christians, beef dishes are immensely popular. There is no ban on cow slaughter in Kerala.
Some upper caste Hindus consider cow as sacred and they do not eat its meat. They drink its milk and urine – considered holy and used in some medicines. Many lower caste Hindus eat beef – a source of inexpensive protein. A peek into history and the Hindu scriptures Vedas reveal that hundreds and thousands of cows were slaughtered and eaten by upper caste Hindus and Sanskrit scholars in ancient times. Cows were sacrificed in Hindu rituals called Yagnas through ages.
The reputation of India as a tolerant and peaceful country will take a beating at the international level. It will severely impact the social and cultural relations with many Muslim, Arab and Christian countries. The economy will suffer too. The tourism sector particularly the medical tourism will suffer and the projected footfall of 32,00,000 medical tourista arriving in India by 2015 may become a pipe dream. The impressive growth of 30 per cent in medical tourism will evaporate in the thin air. It is significant to note that a heart bypass surgery in India costs about US$7,000 compared to US$ 30,000 – 80,000.
The growing Hindu fanaticism in India will drive away the potential tourists to other safer tourist destinations like Malysia. India needs to beef up its tolerance and not decide what people should have for lunch or dinner. There is a saying that one man’s meat is poison for another man but never heard that cow meat is poison for a man! Let saner counsel prevail!
