Hurriyat chairman says ban on beef is illogical

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today termed the ban on beef in Jammu and Kashmir as illogical and an intervention in the religious affairs of the Muslim community.
"The ban on beef in the state is regrettable, illogical and direct intervention into the religious affairs of the Muslim community, who form the majority in the state," said the Mirwaiz, who was placed under house arrest earlier in the day, in a telephonic address to a Friday gathering at Jamia Masjid here.
"No court can violate or overrule the laws laid down by the Sharia and banning the consumption of beef, a 'halal' food, by the courts is blatant interference in religion affairs, which will not be tolerated," he added.

Mirwaiz, who was scheduled to lead a protest rally against the court order on implementation of ban on beef in in the state, was placed under house arrest early this morning.
He said such rulings can vitiate the atmosphere and unnecessarily cause communal stress among communities, something that people of Kashmir have always been against.
"Kashmiris have always respected and protected the rights of the minority community, but sadly the communal forces like the BJP/RSS and their ilk are busy in furthering their agenda of polarizing the Kashmiri society and stoking communal fires for petty electoral and political gains," he said.

"These forces are constantly conspiring and digging up some means of undermining the Muslim majority character of the state and establishing their hegemony over the state. This will never be allowed," he said.