Notes and Comments: Cow Slaughter and Death Fast
The Young Islam, 15th September 1934 Issue (Vol. 1, No. 8, pp. 2, 4)
These days are of discoveries and invention. A novel and new method has been found to force authorities for redress of one’s grievances. Of late we have heard so much of fasting unto death by prisoners and political leaders. Now this queer manoeuvre has been employed for redress of a religious grievance. This method employed for any purpose has puzzled many, for it has neither any sense nor courage in it. One must live and must die like a man. But this feminine instrument of wail and woe and lamentations to the extent of committing suicide is utterly foolish and cowardly. One Rama Chandra Sharma in Mangrol State [Gujarat, India] was on a death fast because cow slaughter is carried on in the State. We have not heard lately what became of the fuss this gentleman had made. But, ‘you must give me money or I am going to kill myself,’ is indeed a queer logic which was advanced, as the story tells us, by a son to extort money from his mother. Suppose the Muslims resort to this method as well, although we are pretty certain that it is utterly against the brave spirit of Islam to do so. What would be the state of affairs? There would be on one side Hindus fasting unto death if cow slaughter is permitted. On the other side will be Muslims equally determined to die through hunger strike if cow sacrifice is not permitted. The authorities would be in a jeopardy and guilty of man slaughter in any way they act. This would show how utterly senseless the method is, and the only course to stamp out the foolish cowardly act from spreading is to ignore it altogether whenever it is resorted to.