Indian state of Maharashtra bans beef

[Inquilabstan]

Oh for fuck's sake, this is what happens when we elect right-wing idiots like the Shiv Sena and BJP to power. This is going to kill thousands of jobs, most held by Muslims (but that's the point isn't it?) and take away attention from the real developmental issues facing the state. Bloody wonderful, that Maharashtra now takes eating a hamburger more seriously than assault, statutory rape, and manslaughter.

This has little to do with the ruling government however, people simply want Hindu ideologies to spread as a counter to Muslim ideology.

It has everything to do with the BJP and the Shiv Sena. They promote this sort of thing to gain support after trumping up anti-Islamic conspiracy theories, because the electorate buys that type of stuff.

Jesus, I know the crisis in the middle east is bad, but I actually wouldn't mind if Western conservatives made a hullabaloo about the growing persecution of Christians in India.

[DaAngou7]

For a country whose people mostly believe that cows are their reincarnated ancestors and deceased family members who are living out their final stage of life before moving on to the cosmos, I can understand why Maharashtra has banned beef.

I'm given to understand that Indians believe the cow shouldn't be eaten because of it's utility. The belief you have espoused is a stereotype.

[Skeckoa]

To be honest, I think a ban on beef in South American states or countries with Amazonian territory is more in demand than this one.

I swear I just saw South America explode in front of my eyes while reading that sentence.

As for the OP, I see a lotta people saying it's "understandable", but that doesn't make it a stupid law made by a stupid person in the stupid BJP.

[Edgy Opinions]

To be honest, I think a ban on beef in South American states or countries with Amazonian territory is more in demand than this one.

I swear I just saw South America explode in front of my eyes while reading that sentence.

Actually Amazonian populations traditionally eat fish and hunted animals, and most Brazilians have chicken as the dominant animal protein contribution to their diet. There is a saying for how poor people adapt to lifestyles with less comfort, "arroz, feijão e ovo, alegria do povo." ("Rice, beans and an egg, popular staple for happiness.") The first time my maternal grandmother ate beef was when she was 11, a few years after she had moved to Rio de Janeiro.

It's really in Rio Grande do Sul where people start to call us from further north "thin/undernourished yellow people" (not with a racial connotation) because we don't eat richly enough, including having a prevalence of red meat in one's diet.

I'm sure that if the government contracted chefs from eastern cultures to teach us about how to diversify to substitute this lacking, and the new food sources could be accessible, people would readily adapt.

Southern Brazil, São Paulo and the Center-West region would indeed explode, though.

[Shrillland]

What I can't understand about this is how a bill that was passed in the legislature 20 years ago is only now receiving assent. What happened to make this suddenly materialise, and why does anyone allow bills to just sit there for so long?

[Skeckoa]

What I can't understand about this is how a bill that was passed in the legislature 20 years ago is only now receiving assent. What happened to make this suddenly materialise, and why does anyone allow bills to just sit there for so long?

In the article it says that the old bill was amended, hence, the new press coverage.

[Terra Sector Union]

Nice. A law that caters to superstition.

[Imperium Sidhicum]

Doesn't slaughtering the cow release it's soul to be reincarnated, leaving only it's earthly shell to be consumed?

Actually, Hindus believe that the cow is the final form of reincarnation before the soul leaves the temporal realm and enters the Hindu version of heaven. They believe that killing something interrupts the natural life cycle, and means that the soul has to be reincarnated as the same thing again since it didn't have a full life.

What about the souls reincarnated as animals being eaten by other animals? Or souls whose bodies die by accident? Few creatures in the wild have the luxury of dying of old age.

[Sanctissima]

Actually, Hindus believe that the cow is the final form of reincarnation before the soul leaves the temporal realm and enters the Hindu version of heaven. They believe that killing something interrupts the natural life cycle, and means that the soul has to be reincarnated as the same thing again since it didn't have a full life.

What about the souls reincarnated as animals being eaten by other animals? Or souls whose bodies die by accident? Few creatures in the wild have the luxury of dying of old age.

My knowledge of Hinduism isn't that extensive, but I think the general rule is that if it didn't die a natural death, then the death is considered "impure" and the animal/human/being has to be reincarnated as the same thing again.

Of course, this belief varies by the sect, and Hinduism is far from being an organized religion.

[Rio Cana]

Map of this Indian State -


If the other States around them do not ban beef then chances are there will be illegal beef coming in from those neighboring states.

[Aryavartha]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_meat#United_States

Horse meat is generally not eaten in the United States and holds a taboo in American culture which is very similar to the one found in the United Kingdom.[105] All horse meat produced in the United States (up until the last quarter of 2007) was intended solely for export abroad, primarily to the European Union. A thriving horse meat exportation business is going on in several states, including Texas, mainly exporting horses to slaughterhouses in, either, Canada, or Mexico.[106]

Restriction of human consumption of horse meat in the U.S. has generally involved legislation at local, state and federal level. Several states enacted legislation either prohibiting the sale of horse meat or banning altogether the slaughter of horses. The State of Texas, for example, banned in 1949 the sale of horsemeat as well as the any trade operation, such as transportation, involving horse meat.[107]

California Proposition 6 (1998) was passed by state voters, outlawing the possession, transfer, reception or holding any horse, pony, burro or mule by a person who is aware that it will be used for human consumption, and making the slaughter of horses or the sale of horsemeat for human consumption a misdemeanor offense.[108]

In 2007, the Illinois General Assembly enacted Public Act 95-02, ameding Chapter 225, Section 635 of the state's compiled statutes [109] to prohibit both the act of slaughtering equines for human consumption as well as the trade of any horse meat similarly to Texas Agriculture Code's Chapter 149.

Other states banning horse slaughter or the sale of horse meat include New Jersey, Oklahoma, Mississippi. In addition, several other states introduced legislation to outlaw the practice over the years like Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico and New York.

At federal level, since 2001 several bills have been regularly introduced in both the House and Senate to ban horse slaughter throughout the country without success. However, a budgetary provision banning the use of federal funds to carry out mandatory inspections at horse slaughter plants (necessary to allow inter-state sale and exports of horse meat) has been also in place since 2007. Such restriction was temporarily removed in 2011 as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2012 [110] but was again included in the FY2014 Agriculture Appropriations Act and subsequent federal budgets, hence preventing the operation of any domestic horse slaughter operation.

Until 2007 only three horse meat slaughterhouses still existed in the United States for export to foreign markets, but they were closed by court orders resulting from the upholding of aforementioned Illinois and Texas Statutes banning horse slaughter and the sale of horse meat.

while in general people should do whatever they want to do unless they are affecting other people by their actions - please don't be under any illusion that this is unique to india. different cultures have different things that are not acceptable to varying degrees of people, that is forced on all of them.

[-United Islamic Emirates-]

And if an Islamic region banned pork the news would go on a rant about Shariah and how not every one is a muslim #doublestanderds.

People are criticizing this too, so no double standard. Come down, get off your fucking cross.

You first,Than come back when we can have a civilized conversation.

[Pope Joan]

One cannot sell dog or cat meat for human consumption in Australia. The same is true in many (but not all) US states.

It's just the same sort of thing.

[Olivaero]

Banning produce based upon religious reasoning? yeah not okay in my book. I also don't buy the cultural relativism schtick that's going on in this thread "oh they can do what they want it's their country!" I'm sorry if England decided to ban shellfish meat and cited religion as part of the reasoning I would not be okay with it and I wouldn't thank anyone else for being okay with it just because England's majority Christian.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

I can relate to wanting to protect animals but outright banning beef consumption seems a bit much. I know vegetarianism and veganism are strong in India but not everyone is a vegetarian or a vegan.

[Edgy Opinions]

One cannot sell dog or cat meat for human consumption in Australia. The same is true in many (but not all) US states.

It's just the same sort of thing.

Yeah, I think we have that in Brazil.

People say eating cat meat gives you bronchitis/asthma (?).

[Esalonia]

Not surprised.