Ajmer dargah dewan asks Muslims to give up beef

Will appeal to Modi to declare cow the national animal

 Sunni Muslim leader and dargah dewan (spiritual head) of the Ajmer shrine has announced that his family is voluntarily giving up beef.

Syed Zainul Abedin has also asked Muslims of the country to stop consuming beef.
The dewan was addressing a congregation of spiritual heads, Sufi saints and religious leaders to mark the 805th annual Urs of Khwaja Chisti.

Sajjadanashin (spiritual head) of the Ajmer dargah, dewan Abedin — the direct descendant in the 22nd generation of acclaimed Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti — in his statement has asked Muslim leaders to support a nationwide ban on cow slaughter so as to put an end to this issue that he said was at the “root of all hatred” between Hindus and Muslims.

The statement comes within a week of a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses by newly elected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The crackdown spread to most parts of the BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Gujarat.

The joint declaration, read out by the dewan, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should give respite to crores of Muslims by solving this issue once for all and the only solution is by passing an ordinance to ban beef.

The statement mentioned that a panel of Sufis have agreed that the ban will resolve the matter forever.

The statement also read that the dargah dewan will appeal to the prime minister to declare the cow as the national animal of India. 

“The cow should be declared India’s national animal. It is a matter of respecting the feelings of our Hindu brethren and that cannot be compromised,” said Abedin.

Abedin has also called for an end to the practice of triple talaq, which according to him is a violation of the Sharia or Islamic law.

Previous statements

Known for his controversial remarks, Abedin, who is known to be on the side of the ruling party, in 2013 boycotted the Pakistani prime minister’s visit to the Ajmer Sharif Dargah because Pakistani troops mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers near Jammu.

In 2012, his statement barring the entry of film stars into the dargarh to promote their films and TV serials had sparked a widespread debate among the cine fraternity.