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Friday April 19, 2024

Hindu fundamentalism

A 50-year-old Indian Muslim farmer Mohammed Akhlaq, who lived in Dadhri on the outskirts of Delhi, was brutally killed by a mob while his 22-year-old son was critically injured following an announcement from a Hindu temple that he had consumed beef. It is ironic that the eldest son of this

By our correspondents
October 06, 2015
A 50-year-old Indian Muslim farmer Mohammed Akhlaq, who lived in Dadhri on the outskirts of Delhi, was brutally killed by a mob while his 22-year-old son was critically injured following an announcement from a Hindu temple that he had consumed beef. It is ironic that the eldest son of this patriotic Indian family is serving in the Indian air force.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, India emerged as the largest exporter of beef last year, supplying over 2,082,000 metric tons, followed by Brazil and Australia. India’s top export food products are: beef ($4.8 billion), followed by Basmati Rice ($4.5 billion), inferior quality rice ($3.3 billion) and $0.8 billion for wheat. Why this contradiction? How can a secular, democratic India deny this basic right to its citizens to live without fear, choose their faith and eat what their religion allows them to consume? If this is not Hindu fundamentalism, as bad as the distorted fundamentalism of the Taliban, what else do we call it?
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore