Shia law board backs ban on cow slaughter, triple talaq; seeks amicable solution to Ram Temple issue

The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Tuesday adopted three resolutions, including an amicable settlement to the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute and sought a blanket ban on cow slaughter. The board also demanded to ban triple talaq. [caption id=“attachment_3371498” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A cow walks past a closed slaughterhouse in Allahabad. Reuters representational image[/caption] At the fifth meeting of its executive, members of the body raised the issue of cow slaughter and it was unanimously decided that in view of tensions between the two communities, it was in the interest of all that the government ban it. In Quran, the members said, slaughtering of cows was said to be against the tenets of Islam and should henceforth be banned. A fatwa banning cow slaughter in India was issued after the AISPLB sought a clarification from Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain Najafi, a top Shia cleric from Iraq. Reports quoted the members as saying that communal tensions often arise in the country over cow slaughter. “Seventy five-year-old Hussain Najafi is one of the five Grand Ayatollahs in Iraq and is entitled to issue a fatwa for community members,” CNN News-18 reported. A cleric from the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer, Syyed Jail Obaidin Ali Khan, openly discussed the controversy surrounding cow slaughter and called for an end to it. “In the background of rising tensions and sayings laid down in the Quran, we should ban slaughter of cows and sale of its meat,” he said. He also said that the custom of triple talaq was not feasible in modern day, as it was irrelevant and against the spirit of Quran. Other speakers also agreed that when a marriage is solemnised with the consent of the bride and groom, even a matter like divorce should have the consent of both. “We got that fatwa from Iraq, according to which cows should not be killed because the issue concerns the religious sentiments of Hindus. Hence a prohibition on it should be implemented effectively,” Maulana Ejaz Athar, speaking on behalf of the board, told The Indian Express. “A similar fatwa against cow slaughter had been issued by a Shia cleric in India as well, around 40 or 50 years ago. As per the resolution passed at that time, a person should follow the laws of the country where he lives,” the paper quoted Athar as saying. Meanwhile, Athar said that the board was happy with Yogi Adityanath’s government in Uttar Pradesh inducting a Shia Muslim, Mohsin Raza, as minister. The move from the Shia community comes just a day after the Dewan of Ajmer dargah and an influential Sunni Islamic spiritual leader came down heavily on the practice of triple talaq, calling it “un-Islamic” and something which was against the Quran. He also called for a legislation which would ban the slaughter of all bovine species in India and announced a personal decision to have given up beef along with his family members. With inputs from agencies