Village bans Muslim beards after calf killed

MUSLIMS in an Indian village have been banned from wearing beards, praying in public or giving their children Islamic names, on the orders of a tribal council.

After the death of a female calf, allegedly at the hands of a Muslim boy, the council of elders, or panchayat, in Titoli, Haryana, made the decree – while barring the youth, reportedly named Yameen, from the village for life.

The panchayat, held in the Hindudominated village on Wednesday, also barred Muslim residents, numbering around 800, from offering namaz (prayers) outside their homes.

A mob attacked the house of a Muslim family in the village in August, accusing them of killing the calf. Two family members were arrested under the Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act 1955, but it was unclear how or why the calf had been killed.

Rakesh Kumar, the sub-divisional magistrate in Rohtak district, said the diktat was “unconstitutional”. He told The Hindu newspaper: “I will speak to the village sarpanch [leader] in this connection.”

Rajbir, a local Muslim leader, said that the community accepted the decisions to maintain harmony and were not austere Muslims anyway. “We have been keeping Hindu names since Partition and do not wear skull caps or keep beards. Since there is no mosque in the village, we travel around 8-10km to Rohtak city to offer namaz on Fridays and other occasions,” said Rajbir, who goes by one name.

Suresh Nambardar, the president of the residents’ association, said Hindus and Muslims had lived in harmony in the village for several generations, and blamed “new settlers from Uttar Pradesh” for disturbing the peace.

Ekta Manch, a secular alliance, condemned the decisions. Shahzad Khan, its president, said they were unconstitutional and that Muslims were forced to accept their fate for fear of reprisals.

Yash Garg, the district’s deputy commissioner of police, said: “If any such unconstitutional diktat has been passed … we will look into the matter and take appropriate action.”