Indore: Demanding a nationwide ban on cow slaughter, chief imam of the All India Imam Organisation (AIIO) Umer Ahmed Ilyasi on Saturday said that cow should be declared as a “national animal”.
He also said that religious sentiments of a group towards cow should be respected.
“Beef is openly consumed in Kerala, Goa and northeastern states, whereas there is a ban on it in some states. We want that there should be a uniform law in the country that will ban the slaughter of cows.
Besides that, cow should be declared as a national animal,” Ilyasi told reporters here.
“Cow is a matter of faith for a religious group and all other communities should respect it,” he added.
He, however, condemned the recent mob fury and lynchings over the suspicion of carrying/consuming beef, and said that taking the law into one’s hands was not good. He said the controversial Ram temple issue should be resolved through a dialogue between the members of Hindu and Muslim communities as has been suggested by the apex court. (PTI)