The festival of Eid al-Adha (Bakrid), just got over yesterday but one thing that always comes up during these festivals is the issue of goat sacrifice.
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Friday even released a video showing Muslim vegan supporters feeding rescued goats fresh fruits and vegetables to celebrate Eid instead of sacrificing them as is usually done as per tradition.
PETA India Senior Advocacy Officer Farhat Ul Ain in the video said, “Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, ‘Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself.’ This is true. Eating vegan protects us against heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. And by leaving meat and dairy off our plates, we can reduce our carbon footprint from food as individuals by a whopping 73%.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, also said, ‘There is a reward (ajr) for helping any living creature.’ For me, the reward is feeling good! I feel good when I see animals feeling happy and safe.”
In the midst of this a group of Jains in Old Delhi, raised almost Rs. 15 lakh to save goats from being sacrificed during the festival of Eid.
What Happened?
Vivek Jain, a 30-year-old chartered accountant, reportedly raised Rs. 15 lakhs in donations and saved as many as 124 goats from being slaughtered during Bakrid. Speaking with The Print he said, “This is a powerful Jain mantra to bring peace and positivity. These goats are afraid because they think they have been gathered for slaughter. They don’t know we have given them a new lease of life.”
Chirag Jain, another member of the community stated that it began when their guru Sanjeev called about not liking the slaughtering of goats and that “He wanted to do something about it, and that’s when it was decided that while we can’t save all the goats, we should rescue as many as we can.”
This led to a group being formed of 25 people from the Jain community on 15th June and a WhatsApp message being sent out asking for donations. The team on June 16th posted as members from the Muslim community, wearing kurtas and speaking similarly visited several goat markets in Old Delhi like Jama Masjid, Meena Bazar, Matiya Mahal, and Chitli Qabar to buy the goats.
Chirag said “We posed as their [Muslim] community members and asked for the price at which goats were sold. We also surveyed the goat mandis (markets).”
Vivek further explained “We were not afraid, but we didn’t want the buyers to play with our emotions. Had they known we were non-Muslims, they would have sold the goats to us at a higher price, and we wanted to rescue as many goats as possible.”
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Vivek also spoke about the condition he found the goats, which were bought for Rs. 10,000 on average each, saying, “It felt like we were buying clothes from a street vendor. The goats were crammed together and handled poorly. There was no sensitivity towards these living, breathing creatures.”
The rescued goats were eventually brought to the Naya Jain Mandir in Dharampur where the temple courtyard was adjusted to make room for them. The money raised from Jains across Gujarat, Hyderabad, Kerala, Punjab, and Maharashtra was used not just to purchase the goats but also to buy fodder and water for the animals.
As per The Print, Imran (45) and Mushtaq (50) who live near the area said, “Our religion asks us to sacrifice goats on Bakrid, which we do out of devotion to God. We don’t force or promote it,” and “It’s their religion, and if saving animals (like goats) is part of it, we don’t mind. Let everyone practise what brings them peace” respectively.
This is not the first time that members of the Jain community have done something like this. In June of 2023, members of the Jeev Daya Sansthan bought 250 goats just a few days before the Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Azha.
Coming from the Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh, the members purchased these goats from various areas like Ghazipur, Seelampur and the Jama Masjid area in Delhi to save them from being sacrificed for the festival ritual.
Manoj Jain, the president of Jeev Daya Sansthan speaking with Hindustan Times explained that Rajendra Muni Maharaj, a Jain Muni (monk) was his inspiration to save animals and that the members got together and bought 1,000 meters of land in Aminagar Sarai town of UP.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Print, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald
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This post is tagged under: sacrifice, eid, bakrid, goat, goat sacrifice, jain community, jain community goats, saving goats, Eid al-Adha, Bakrid 2024, Jama Masjid, Naya Jain Mandir
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