MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN
COLOMBO: A majority of the Sri Lankan Muslim community has urged the Wakfs Board to reconsider the ban on the slaughter of Qurbani animals inside the mosques in Sri Lanka during the forthcoming Haj festival.
Early this week, the Wakfs Board of Sri Lanka said it would not permit slaughtering of Qurbani animals within any Mosque Premises throughout the island, Accordingly, A.B.M. Ashraff, Director of the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs announced in his circular dated, July 13 stated that trustees of all the mosques in the island should refrain from slaughtering Qurbani animals within mosque premises in the island during the forthcoming Haj festival which falls in Tuesday, July 21.
Dissenting from the ban, former Chairman of the Wakfs Board and incumbent Chairman of the National Haj Committee, Ahkam Uwise said the authorities should immediately lift the ban since the mosque is the best place to carry out slaughtering of animals in accordance with the health guidelines. “ How can a person living in his apartment could slaughter animal inside his house ?,” Uwise quipped, pointing out that the mosque is the best place to dispose animal waste hygienically and dispose the blood through its drainage facilities. “ Wakf Board should know the mosque is the central place of the Muslims in townships and villages.
Parliament member Marjan Faleel, who represents Kalutara district which has a sizable number of Muslim population told the Daily News that the ban is not acceptable by the community. “ It causes a lot of inconvenience to the Muslims who regularly carry out such animal sacrifices in groups or by individuals. He also said certain considerations for the ban could be given depending on the areas where the mosques do not have the drainage facilities.
President of the All-Ceylon YMMA Conference Saheed M Rismy said that the ban cannot be accepted since it is not a decision of the government. “ The Wakfs Board should be blamed for taking unilateral actions without consulting the members of the Muslim community,” Rismy said, pointing out that the community has lost one of its principal rights.
“ The Wakfs Board should have consulted the Muslim community before arriving at such a drastic decision,” Sri Lanka Muslim Council Chairman N.M.Ameen said, recalling that all these decades people had been carrying out such slaughters within the mosques premises.
Mohammed Ismail Hajiar from Malwana said that the Wakfs Board should not take the Muslim community granted. ‘ We have been systematically practicing these slaughtering in Mosque from time immemorial and there was no specific reason to impose a ban which has not yielded any ill-effects due to animal slaughter
Last week on representation made by the Muslim councilors of the Colombo Muncipal Council, CMC, a meeting held under the chairmanship of Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake it was decided to request the concerned Veterinary Department of the CMC to make the arrangements for slaughtering for the three days following the Haj Festival on 21, excluding the Poya day on July 23.
