Mumbai, November 17: While a group has made a list of 298 terror attack survivors to send aid to, Mumbai Muslim youth are choosing to help the needy instead of slaughtering goats. The Bharatiya Janata Party Maharashtra Minority Morcha (BJPMMM) has appealed to Muslims in the city to donate part of their Eid-ul-Adha expenditure towards the welfare of 26/11 vicitms. “With the second anniversary of the attacks just around the corner, it would be a great gesture if we spared a thought to those affected by the terror strikes,” said Hyder Azam, president of BJPMMM.
With the help of the police and hospital records, the BJPMMM has compiled a list comprising names of those who either died or were injured on 26/11. “There are 298 people on our list,” Azam said.
However, the BJPMMM will not be collecting funds. “We will not be actively seeking donations since there is a chance that our intention will be misunderstood. A few close friends and colleagues who have pledged support to the cause will get together and approach the victims with our share of the donations. Others who want to make a donation can write a cheque to the chief minister’s relief fund for 26/11 victims,” said Azam.
The initiative has received a mixed response from the public and the clergy who point out that those who want to help 26/11 victims need not wait for Eid. “You can do a good deed anytime,” said Maulana Sayed
Athar Ali, member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
For those who may want to share a part of their Eid sacrifice with the victims of the attack, Ali has offered a mathematical solution. “A goat costs Rs8,000, but the equivalent offering in a bullock costs just Rs1,300. So instead of spending Rs40,000 on goats, a family of five can spend Rs6,500 by contributing to a bullock sacrifice. The saving of Rs33,500 can be given to the good cause. In this way, you can follow your religious obligations and also help a social cause,” he added.
Sharing over sacrifice
On Tuesday, software engineer Nasreena Khan was busy shopping for clothes and accessories for young girls at the local orphanage. “My family and I have decided not to slaughter goats this year on Bakri Eid and instead donate the equivalent amount to charity,” she said.
As Muslims in the city observe the ritual of sacrificing goats and cattle and sharing the meat with the needy, there are those who are moving away from the traditional celebration and opting to provide relief to the poor in cash or kind. “I am a vegetarian and can’t stand animals being slaughtered. So I am fulfilling my religious obligation by donating money for the construction of a school at my native place,” said Salim Sayyed, who works as an accountant in a multinational firm.