I don't want to prolong this debate. But the reality is beef (from cow) is a taboo for most Hindus and our sentiments need to be respected. We can continue this debate on legality, or freedom till the cows come home (pun intended) but that is how it rolls in India.
Similarly I respect the sentiments of the Muslims who felt offended by Satanic verses and demanded its ban.
You guys have no idea how the real world is keep talking about these idealistic scenarios which will never happen on ground.
Tomorrow if a law is passed allowing cow-slaughter legally, even then if someone decides to slaughter cow publicly in MP or Haryana or UP or even in most parts of TN it is going to create large scale riots in which many innocents will get hurt. That is ground reality in India and acknowledging it or not doesn't change it.
You are confusing the problem with the cure.
It is necessary to be sensitive to the identity aspirations of minorities, otherwise the entire compact behind which India was formed will fall apart. India was formed not as a Hindu majority nation, which would ram down the desires and wishes of the Hindu majority, represented by the dominant castes within the body of those professing Hinduism; India was formed as a secular nation, respecting the religious rights of all, and denying none the right to practice their religion.
We can preserve this ideal and this objective by respecting the rights of all, not just the rights of Hindus.
That is where making beef available comes in. Not making it available, when sizeable minorities, Dalits, North-eastern Tribals, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists, have it in their diets, displays the arrogance and insensitive misuse of brute majority by the dominant Hindu.
You speak from the classic perspective of a minority ever fearful, mostly unwarranted, of the hindu majority .And I speak from that of a Hindu who revered Gau mata as an incarnation of Lakshmi ,who is offended by the thought of killing it and who is wary of his way of life coming under attack in one country they can call their spiritual home.
You spoke of how Hindus should be sensitive to the identity aspiration of the minorities (
considering a population of about 170 million is minority is ridiculous..but that's another debate). But saying that eating beef is a necessary expression for affirming their identity is a BS statement to the core. There are 1001 ways to express that, in peaceful means, without affecting any one's sentiments and they DO express it, but clinging onto one thing that affects the sentiments of hundredss of millions of Hindus is just like cutting your nose to spite one's face.
And let me tell you which will cause India to disintegrate faster, it's not when the minorities get fed up -- but when the majority gets fed up. And they do get fed up when they see such antics being played out which directly offends them.
India is, as you rightly pointed out, a secular nation, constitutionally -- but the way of life here is overwhelmingly influenced by the Dharmic way of life. The culture of this land is dharmic and a 65 year old constitution cannot and does not change that fact.
Respecting religious sentiments is always a two way street. It's never one way and Hindus are notready to be giving all the time.
Regarding the arrogant and dominant Hindu forcing his opinions on others, I can say the same about the arrogant Mullah depriving me of my right to read Satanic Verses or the arrogant pastor depriving me of my right to see Da Vinci code. But as I said, that is how it rolls in India.
If desensitization needs to occur it needs to occur to all religions. Not to Hinduism alone.
the beef issue has nothing to do with them.
Since it was in a thread about Beef eating and since the post itself was given in reply to a member's query as to why the need to de-sensitize Hindus about beef, I naturally assumed your replies were in a way related to that.
but that they were just irrelevant things out of context, I did not know.
Not idealistic; grossly illegal and against the spirit of the Indian state is more accurate.
Many things goes against the spirit of Indian constitution, so why bother about this one ?
Reservation, for example is supposed to be given only based on castes,,but arent Muslims and Christians enjoying it too, especially even after claiming theirs is an egalitarian religion wherein no castes exist ?
Regarding Sati, I dont see how equating a practise of killing a widow along with her husband equals asking a cow not to be slaughtered. Former is a murder,premeditated and cold, pure and simple while the latter is not. Infact it can come under Prevention of cruelty to animals.
I also dont know why those who harp on the supremacy of the constitution conveniently forget that there are laws constitutionally which forbid killing cows. You cant regard and disregard the constitution for your own choices.
As a result, for each concession given to one religion - seemingly - there is a concession given to the other.
That is how it will work in India. The French model, even though highly recommended, will not work here.
Just look at the opposition to the Uniform Civil Code where your religion doesn't not affect your standing before law - a supposedly egalitarian concept. But it is the minorites who oppose it.
If the minorities want their identity to be preserved, and they are welcome to it, then it is absolutely idiotic and preposterous of expecting the majority NOT to try to maintain their way of life.
Fortunately, the Indian is not the idiot that he or she is assumed to be by heroes on these fora.
Yes of course,as of now, but keep pushing the luck and one fine day it will just explode.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Universal law of nature and nothing is exempted from that.