Bakrid or Eid al-Adha is a "festival of sacrifice".
Highlights
- A trend of sharing selfies with animals that are sacrificed has emerged
- Yogi Adityanath has ordered that such selfies are prohibited in the state
- Some of the selfies are very gory, bloody images
As the country celebrates Bakrid on Wednesday, animal slaughter in the open will not be allowed in Uttar Pradesh. Selfies during animal sacrifice are also prohibited in the state. In a video conference with district magistrates in UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed police and administration to ensure sacrifice of animals on Bakr-Eid was not done in the open, and blood from the site shouldn't flow in the drains. Action will be taken against those found flouting the rules, the chief minister warned.
A trend has emerged in the last few years where on Bakrid social media gets flooded with selfies featuring animals before and after the sacrifice -- from that "one last selfie" with the animal to some really gory, bloody images.
"According to Islam, qurbani ko parde mein rakh ke karne ke liye kaha gaya hai (sacrifice shouldn't be done in the open). Clicking selfies is a modern thing, religion has nothing to do with it," said Khurshid Ahmed, a hotel owner in Etawah.
Rabia Naik from Lucknow says she will follow the order. "Religion teaches us to be respectful of others' faith and belief systems. We will ensure that no community's sentiments are hurt with our celebrations."
Imam Kamaluddin Ashrafu, the chief imam at Etawah eidgah said, "We have advised people not to sacrifice animals in the open. We have also asked them to offer qurbani quietly and not make a show of it or hurt the sentiments of our Hindu brothers."
We also don't agree with selfies with animals and have discouraged people from sharing them on Facebook and WhatsApp, he added.
To prevent blood from flowing in the streets or drains, pits have been dug up, police said. The offal can be disposed of later.
The chief minister has also asked officials to maintain law and order and ensure electricity and water supply isn't disrupted in the state.
The police have also been instructed to make sure that protected animals are not sacrificed on the festival and to step up vigilance in areas where the Kanwar Yatra - an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva's devotees - is in progress.
Bakrid or Eid al-Adha is a "festival of sacrifice". Eid al-Adha honours the willingness of Ibrahim, the messenger in Islam, to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God's command. Muslims worldwide celebrate Bakrid by sacrificing a male goat as a symbol of the sacrifice made by Ibrahim. The families feast on the goat's meat and also distribute it among friends and neighbours.