ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ By Charles.S.Perera

Not because ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka is a Buddhist Country thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  slaughter of animals as religious sacrifice should stop, but any where in the world killing of animals for religious purposes to satisfy a God or a deity is savage, and meaningless, and no God will be honoured to have animals being killed as a Sacrifice for him.

The God of the Bible wanted blood sacrifices and peace sacrifices andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the people of Israel made these sacrifices at the Tabernacle and the Arc of God. Bible is full of such sacrifices carried out to satisfy the God . After 516BC the Jews made sacrifices only at the temple in Jerusalem.

Jews eventually evolved their religious practices, and built Synagogues the Centres ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Jewish teaching and later of worship.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 70,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Jewish ritual of sacrifices came to an end.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Their belief system evolved around the Synagogue and savage uncivilized animal sacrifice became history.

Of the three Abrahamic religionsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Judaism, Christianity and Islam.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Jews and Christians have becomeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  civilized people and stopped making animal sacrifices to their God. It is still the followers of Islam that are savage and uncivilizedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and continue to make animal sacrifices in celebrating their religious festivals such as Bakr Eid.

In India .. the All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice-president and Shia cleric Maulana Syed Kalbe Sadiq, in a statement said “It is my appeal to Muslims to completely restrain from sacrificing the cow on the Eid-ul-Azha. India is our country and we should respect the feeling of Hindu brethren who are in the majority.”

Will the Muslims in Sri Lanka listen to this wise manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s appeal ?

Now in India apart from the Muslims, the Hindus as well make animal Sacrifices. In India it has taken a most savage turn.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Thousands of animals are being killed for religious rituals.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The absurdityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of these sacrifices apart from their savage inhuman aspect is said to be theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  sacrifice of various animals of different sizes not so much as a religious ritual but as a show ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  riches and social standing.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-As affluence in India rises, more and more larger animals such as bovines, camels and increasingly horses are slaughtered to show the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”statusƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…” of the person making the sacrifice. Slaughter was symbolic and never meant to be a status parade that it has become.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These slaughter of animal attracts large number ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  devotees who bringƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  their animals for slaughter, and it looses any sanctity when the slaughter becomes an amusement, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-.. it isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ increasinglyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ common to see the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”spectacleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of animals slaughtered publicly for the amusement of those witnessing the slaughter.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Despite the laws prohibiting slaughter of animals in India, there are vast number of illegal ritual slaughters.

In Sri Lanka too there is such a savage slaughter of animals in Munneshwaran Kovil in Chilaw.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  On the 25 August, 2010,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  300 goats and 600 chicken had been slaughtered , this despite the Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.

There is a news item today that the Munneshwaran Kovil is now preparing for their annual ritual of animal slaughter. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is therefore high time that the Government leaves aside its lackadaisical attitude and issue strong instructions to stop the slaughter of animals as sacrifices, warning those who incite killing and those who bring animals for sacrifice liable to be charged under the relevant laws.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Government should not hesitate stop this most inhumane, uncivilised, and barbaric move on the grounds of hurting the sentiments of India, TamilsNadu or Tamils.

The Tamil terrorists slaughtered innocent men, women, and children for 30 long years until a determined President turned up to stop the savagery.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But why cannot this President, who defied the terrorists not stop the slaughter of innocent animals.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There are those who bring in democracy to allow the slaughter of innocent animals on the ground that the people should have the freedom to worship according to their traditions.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But that should not be at the cost of the lives of innocent animals that cannot call out for help.

Sri Lanka has a Buddha Sasana Ministry, which has become absolutely useless, unable even to decide matters on which they should pass laws. There was a bill once presented to stopƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  illegal conversion and to this day no one knows what has become of it.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In the mean time they are preparing to pass laws to prohibit publications defamatory of the major religions.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But more important issues are not touched because it fears antagonising the other religious faiths.

If that is how the Buddha Sasana Ministry functions it is better that the government scraps the Ministry altogether, saving a considerable sum of money as the Ministry actually serves no useful purpose.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If the Ministry is active it should not hesitate to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ implement the Cruelty to Animal Ordinance, and stop the Munneshvaran Kovil from making itsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  intended slaughter of animals.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Ministry should draw up legal documentsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  making it illegal to make animal sacrifices for religious or any other purpose.

There were human sacrifices in theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Aztec and Mesoamerican civilisations.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But after the conquest of these countries by Spanish ConquistadorsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  these human sacrifices were stopped.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the present fear of the Government of Sri Lanka to ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ displease other countries and other religions ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it is frightening to imagine ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ what the government of Sri Lanka would have done ifƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  there is a ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Community in Sri Lanka which makes humans sacrifices in the performance of their religious ceremonies.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Government may perhaps not intervene not to displease the religious sentiments of that Community !!!

The false religious ceremonies of Munneshvaran Temple should be stopped in the name of humanity whether it hurts religious sentiments of those ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-savageƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ devotees or the rich trustees of the Kovil.

In India there was Sati an ancient custom where the widow is burnt alive on the funeral pyre of the husband.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In 1987 India passed a law banning the practice of Sati.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But yet hey say there are reports of incidents of attempted Sati.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If it exists in Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  what will the Government do ?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Will it shy away from banning such savagery or just close its eyes not wanting to hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees ?

These may sound absurd propositions, but is it not similar to what the government is doing in shying away from passing laws to stop slaughter of innocent animals as religious sacrifices ?

It is time that the Government takes a firm decision to stop the animal sacrifices by Muslims to celebrate Bakr Eid,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and stop animal slaughter by Munneshwaran KovilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ now and for ever.

IfƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  human sacrifice by AztecsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  had been stopped, the Jews have stopped blood sacrifices, and Christians do not make any sacrifice of animals either , ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ surely the Muslims could stop animal slaughter for their festivals, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and Munneshvaram Kovil can stop animal slaughter for Kali.