e_Paper, Monday, August 28, 2017

Opinion 13
This Eid, be kind to your cow
Even sacrificial animals deserve humane treatment
DT
MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017
• Aiman R Khan
Eid-ul-Azha is just around
the corner and, once
again, the “moos” and
“mehs” are being heard
from every corner of Dhaka.
Parades of men with cows of
different shapes and sizes ply the
streets, flaunting their purchase
eagerly waiting for passersby to
ask that desired question.
While asking people “how
much did it cost?” we also need
to ask ourselves “what are it’s
rights?”
Rights and wrongs
In a country like ours, advocating
the rights of the helpless is
considered a hobby for those
who can afford the time. Hence,
shouting for a cow or a goat to be
treated like any other living things
is a far cry here.
In Bangladesh, despite being
pious and faithful, our actions
defeat the sole purpose of this
religious occasion.
Every year at the time of Eid-ul-
Azha, there is a huge demand for
cows in cattle markets. To meet
demands, they are imported from
neighbouring countries, while
some arrive in Bangladesh through
illegal means.
Cattle smuggling is rampant
over at the India-Bangladesh
border.
Every day, almost 300-500 cows
are smuggled over the border in
inhumane and degrading ways.
Most of them are tied with ropes
and hurled from narrow exits
within the border.
As a result, many cows die in
transit, mostly out of suffocation.
What does religion say?
In Islam, it is forbidden to treat
an animal cruelly or to kill it
except when needed for food
(also known as Zabiha). Zabiha is
the prescribed rule for slaughter
in Islamic law. The rule ensures
minimum suffering to animals
when slaughtering them for
food. Among the many laws, two
suggest:
1. Usage of sharp knife so that
it is done swiftly, not allowing the
animal to feel any pain
2. Cutting the throat, windpipe,
and blood vessels, keeping the
spinal cord intact, to minimise
pain
Islamic law clearly recognises
animal rights as it is an obligation
for all Muslims to be kind to
animals. Even while handling
a cow which is about to be
sacrificed, Islamic law tells you to
be merciful and try to make it easy
Animals have rights too
for them.
But in reality, that is hardly the
case.
Cows arrive in Bangladesh
bruised, suffocated, and
punctured by the barbed border
fence. They get crammed in trucks
and sent all the way to Dhaka.
Some of them get sick on the long
journey while many die due to the
congested space.
Even after they make it to a
customer’s house, they are kept
tied-up for hours until the moment
of sacrifice.
They die writhing in pain, for
the sacrificing is often not done
properly. In times when religious
duties are forgotten, the sole
driving force is the law.
What does the law say?
It is the fear of sanctions that
has the power to instill the idea
of animal rights in us. The only
law that talks about animal rights
in Bangladesh is the Cruelty to
Animals Act, 1920, which has a
provision for a Tk100 fine or an
imprisonment of three months,
or both, to anyone found guilty of
torturing an animal.
Section 4 of the act states
if any person: (a) Overdrives,
unnecessarily beats, or otherwise
In times when religious duties are forgotten, the sole driving force
is the law
ill-treats any animal, or (b) binds,
keeps, or carries any animal in
such a manner or position as to
subject the animal to unnecessary
pain or suffering, or (c) offers,
exposes, or has in his possession,
for sale, any live animal which
is suffering pain by reason of
mutilation, starvation, thirst,
overcrowding, or other illtreatment,
or any dead animal
for which there is reason to
believe to have been killed in
an unnecessarily cruel manner
-- then one shall be punished for
every offense with a fine which
may extend to Tk100 or with
imprisonment for a term which
may extend to three months, or
with both.
In addition to this existing law,
something new is on its way.
As per the draft of a proposed
new Animal Welfare Act, 2016, any
person killing or badly injuring
an animal would have to face two
years’ imprisonment or a Tk50,000
fine, or both.
This surely is good news for all
the animals in our country.
Such a law will not only curb
the abuse that our stray dogs and
other animals go through almost
every day, but also regulate the
treatment of cattle in Bangladesh.
While PETA is busy trying to
stop cows and livestock from
being ill-treated at dairy farms, we
are tossing them over fences like
badminton.
But recent developments
suggest that the cause for animal
rights is progressing in this part of
the world.
Effective enforcement of such
strict liability would ensure that
even the cows that are to be
sacrificed during Eid-ul-Azha
gets fair treatment. This way, we
can retain the holiness that this
occasion requires. •
Aiman R Khan is a trainee lawyer, Dhaka
Judge Court.
MEHEDI HASAN