On July 10, Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-Al-Adha, also known as Bakri Eid, because of the ceremonial sacrifice of an animal, mainly a goat. To this day, the animal rights activism of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) often gets toned down. So much so that if we compare their aggression against the practice of sacrificing animals on Bakri Eid to the noise they make at Hindu festivals, it would look as if they become ostriches on this day.
In 2014, PETA’s India chapter “dared” to stand against animal sacrifice on Bakri Eid in Bhopal. A female activist of the organization wore a burqa made of lettuce leaves and vegetables and went for a “peaceful awareness campaign” near Taj-Ul Masjid in the old city along with other ‘activists’. The “attack” on the practice was not “welcomed” by the community, and a mob allegedly assaulted the activists, including the woman in lettuce-burqa.
The PETA activists were outnumbered, and the Police had to intervene to save them. They were taken to the nearby Police station. Then-Inspector General of Police Yogesh Choudhary had said that a case was filed against PETA activists for hurting religious sentiments under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code.
Shocked by the attack, PETA India’s then-CEO Poorva Joshipura had said, “PETA organises peaceful animal protection awareness programs for Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Janmashtami and other holidays, as well as Eid. It is shameful that in working to stop violence, our volunteers were made to suffer violence.”
The activists of the organization seemed to have gotten scared by the attack, and since then, there have been virtually no reports of them taking on the streets to protest against animal sacrifice on Eid. They may post something online and subtly tell their followers not to sacrifice animals, but they never dare to repeat it again. On the contrary, when it comes to Hindu festivals, they gather all the courage they have hidden somewhere under the carpets and oppose even 100% vegetarian Hindu festivals, including Diwali, Janmashtami, Rakshabandhan, and more.
