Disclaimer: The opinion(s) expressed in this article is of the writer. ED Times does not endorse any views and beliefs held by the author. The writer does not intend to harm, denigrate or challenge any religion on any grounds. It is merely an attempt to bring to light a practice which might not be the best religious practice in the world. If you are touchy and get furious easily then please do not proceed further.
Okay.
So, here I am criticising a festival which I never celebrate and will never.
Let me tell you why Bakra Eid is the dumbest festival there is. Also, before I start, I want to make it very lucid that I’m talking about Bakr-i-Eid or Eid-al-Adha, that Eid where goats are sacrificed in the name of one who must not be named.
Why is Goat sacrificed on Eid?
Here’s a little story which describes the commencement of goat-cutting:
Prophet Abraham reached the age of 80 and he still didn’t have a son. He prayed to God for a son. So Allah gave him the good news of a boy. When the son (his name was Ismael, also a prophet) reached the age to work with him, Allah ordered Abraham to sacrifice (kill) his son. Indeed it was a trial for Prophet Abraham. Abraham told his son, “O my son! Allah has ordered me to sacrifice you. Now say what is your view.” The son (Prophet Ismael) replied: “O My Father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me most patient.” So when they both went to offer the sacrifice of Prophet Ismael, Allah called out to him: “O Abraham! You have already fulfilled the vision. Thus indeed we reward those who do right. This was obviously a trial and you proved your best. Thus we preserve your love for the coming generations.” So Prophet Abraham slaughtered a sheep instead of his son.
Here I would like to explicitly mention that I have not read the Holy Quran twice, or even once in my lifetime. The above narration is the most widely believed notion behind this festival. Of course, I have consulted the internet and most of the sites I have visited had the same narrative, with a little variance, if any.
Coming to the point, you sacrifice a goat because thousands of years ago a legend foolishly went to sacrifice his son because a non-existent Angel told him to. How dumb do you have to be to imitate something that had happened centuries ago?
Festival of violence
Oxford dictionary defines festival as “A day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons.”
Celebration is the word you should focus on.
Celebration.
Festival is celebrated because its ultimate end is to make people happy. Can you imagine celebrating a festival by killing someone by torture with your cold blooded hands in your own house and you can see every drop of that blood seeping down below of that creature’s neck?
Let’s see the entire process before celebrating Eid.
You bring a goat.
Feed it.
Bring it to your verandah.
Bring your knife, knives, whatever piece of cutlery you are possessing.
Torture the goat by making a cut on its neck.
Pull up the weapon and attack on his neck.
Your verandah is now filled with blood. Your house is a crime scene.
And that my friend is how you celebrate a festival, festival which brings joy like a murderer feels joyous after a hectic night at work. Isn’t festival supposed to bring happiness, peace and every positive energy one can gather?
Have you ever seen a video where a goat is slaughtered? If you haven’t, you shouldn’t. It’s horrifying. Imagine making a festival out of it. One would say that eating meat and being a non-vegetarian is the same. I would disagree.
There are slaughter houses provided for the same. Professional people are employed. It’s not your home. Children are not watching while you glorify killing an animal and wiping out the blood from your verandah.
And yes I can comment on a practice even though I do not belong to that religion.
Why do I have to belong to a religion to criticise a stupid and blind practice? That’s like saying don’t talk about the kids dying in Africa when you live in India.
When something’s wrong, it’s wrong.
Or.
When I feel something is wrong, I feel that it is wrong. I do not have to be an Obama for being respected for holding an opinion.
Also read: Would India Be Any Different If Hinduism Is Replaced By Buddhism?
Every Sacrifice is wrong.
To prove myself secular, I’ll quote practices followed by Hindu tribes which are barbaric and irrational in nature.
In Deoghar temple in Jharkhand, goats and buffaloes are sacrificed on the festival of Dussehra. In Dussera 2012, as many as 40 buffaloes and 300 goats were sacrificed to please the goddess Kali Ma. The Jharkhand High Court is dealing with the matter at present.
Another festival, Gadhimai festival, which is celebrated in a village close to the Indo-Nepal border has a practice of sacrificing cows, goats, water buffaloes, etc to please Goddess Gadhimai, goddess of power. It is estimated that 50,000 animals were sacrificed during the Gadhimai festival of 2009. However, this practice has been banned.
The practices do not limit to the above two. There are many other tribes and superstitious people who sacrifice animals in the name of a festival, which is not only wrong but also immoral.
Here is another major rant by a non-believer:
https://www.facebook.com/ayesha.bashir.796/posts/1111579702309578
It’s time we embrace the progressive side of our brain and do away practices which are not only cruel but also are a disgrace to any religion.
(Images from Google Images)
More on ED Times:
http://edtimes.in/2016/05/nuisance-that-indians-create-in-the-name-of-hinduism/
http://edtimes.in/2017/08/muslim-women-pay-for-sex-with-maulvis-to-return-to-their-previous-husbands-nikah-halala/
Are you mentally deficient? Did you type this article while chomping on a burger made from the slaughter of livestock or fish? Sheesh.
I think this makes absolute sense for this day and age. The author has clearly spoken about celebration being the main focus of doing anything. As I sit at home peacefully writing this comment, I can hear the goats that my ruthless neighbors have “purchased” for slaughter. I watch as their young children play with them as though the animal is a sibling, absolutely pure innocence. But what are elders trying to do, showcasing a bloodbath at the end of their playtime? How can you be so foolish to let your children think something like this is ok, love something and then kill it for dinner? Most importantly, I have lived in this neighborhood for many years and watched this peaceful street being filled with the blood of cows, goats and buffalo…it is a massacre and I have no idea how “progressive India” still allows slaughter within households, this is problematic! If you are a farmer, professional livestock personnel or do this with accredited regulation in a space that is feasible, we could find a solution to this bloodbath on a day that people apparently “celebrate”.