The Customs of Civilized People
In Bangladesh, there is probably no major road where you cannot buy and eat beef from some shop or the other. You can eat it every day for your entire life if you have the money. No one is stopping you. There is no fear.
When we host a meal at home and there are Hindu friends among the guests, we do not cook beef. This is a matter of simple courtesy.
There is no question of rights involved here. Suppose there are two Hindus among 60 people -- the other 58 do not say that their right to eat beef has been taken away.
Our Hindu friends, when they invite us to their homes, make arrangements for us to pray. I have seen that many non-Muslim families in Bangladesh even keep a prayer mat for this purpose.
Christian friends, when they invite us, do not serve pork at the table.
These are the customs of civilized people in society -- customs that are older and far more important than laws and rights.
A Muslim may be poor, but why should there be no greatness in him? This is something I cannot understand.
If you accept that Allah is the owner of this universe and that you are only on this Earth for a short time, then how exactly does a person become lowly? That is beyond my imagination.
We understand very well, brother, how the thought of one’s “right to eat beef” starts itching in someone’s backside precisely during someone else’s puja.
In Bangladesh, there is probably no major road where you cannot buy and eat beef from some shop or the other. You can eat it every day for your entire life if you have the money. No one is stopping you. There is no fear.
Where Hindus and Muslims eat together, not serving beef is the generosity of the Muslim, and that is the correct thing.
This generosity is a trust (amanat) from Allah and the Prophet (peace be upon him).
We will carry this teaching of this generosity from generation to generation. We are willing to lose, but we are not willing to lose this trust in the name of politics.
Those of you who want to spread lowliness in society in the name of politics and rights -- you will not be able to do so with us.
We Muslims will live until the Day of Judgment, and someone or the other will always carry the torch of the Prophet’s generosity.
You will lose forever.
Faham Abdus Salam is an Australian-based Bangladeshi writer and researcher.
