Adil Najam
Many readers would already have seen this on Karachi Metroblog. Voyeuristically, I guess, it is interesting. However, I wanted to make a rather different point.
Personally, I do not find this funny. I find it sad and slightly sickening.
The video shows a bunch of men from a neighborhood mohalla ogling at and sometimes provoking a frightened cow. In the process, the poor animal lashes out and kicks violently at various people who try to ‘control’ it. The tamashbeen seem to find this funny and, purposely or inadvertently, their reaction further instigates the frightened animal.
It is easy to focus on the antics of the cow, but I would urge you to pay more careful attention to the people in the video and especially to the comments of the person who is making the video and his companion.
That is the sad part. But not for some of the foul language that creeps in. What is sad is the joyous glee and excitement people seem to be expressing not only at the misery of the cow but also of those who are being kicked and hurled by the cow. It is not just that they are oblivious to the welfare of the poor animal; it is also that they seem genuinely excited (even happy) that someone got violently kicked by the frightened beast.About a month ago we did a related post on how people fail to react to the misery of others (in that case someone supposedly slapping a woman as a prelude to stealing from her). In this case its not just that they don’t rush out to help someone in obvious pain, it is that they seem to find that pain funny (this relates to a different discussion we had on why people ‘enjoy’ self-destructive behavior by others).
In this season of bakras (I know this is not a bakra, but since it is being treated as one, I am sticking with the headline), it makes me think of the inhumane treatment we met out to the animals that are supposedly going to help us become better humans. Unlike Arab society 1400 years ago, where livestock was a prime unit of currency and commercial exchange (and, hence, of sacrifice) and where most people would have been well aware how to deal with and treat these prized possessions, most people (at least in urban Pakistan) have no experience or idea about how to treat any animal and one often seen purposeful and inadvertent cruelty inflicted on these animals, which are treated as a source of novelty rather than as living creatures worthy of our respect.
Elsewhere on ATP, we have been talking today about dignity and the demonstration of dignity. Maybe it is that incident that has left me in a pensive mood. As I watch this video, it seems to me that the only one who comes out of this video with its dignity intact is the cow. I, for one, am rooting for the cow.
I give full points to the cow. The poor animal in my opinion took care of the annoying punk and got the last laugh in his soon to be ended life. Its kick was electrifying and reminded me of Bruce Lee movies. But before I digress…
I agree that religion has nothing to do with this whole scene. The cow was procured for a religous ritual but ended up being terrorised and abused. The animals for such purpose must be treated with kindness for the ultimate involuntary sacrifice they make. Most of these animals come from rural areas and are not used to so many people, noises, cars and narrow alleys. They get alarmed, defensive and sometime aggressive. Its instinct. Throw one of the spectators in the video on a Baghdad street where a firefight is going on…he will behave the same way as the cow.
I disagree with anyone who thinks this is some form of entertainment or that all spectators were well-wishers of the cow. We as Pakistanis are a sadistic bunch, brutalised by guns,beatings, disappearings and death rampant in our society. Animals are at the bottom of our food chain given that they are weak and dependent on humans. I have seen many forms of cruelty to animals in Pakistans different cities. The perpetrators seemingly had no reason for their behaviour but carried on nevertheless. It seems like a national trait of animal handlers. Bakra-Eid unfortuantely brings out the worst in these sadistic people.
Whats equally disturbing is not one person asked the audience to back off/beat it because it was scaring the cow. If the cow was parked on the street due to lack of yard space in the house, it should have been blind folded in my opinion.
ok samdani sahib back back to the topic.
As I said in orignal post of on Karachi metroblog that such things happen when you hire a non-professional qasai. Tomorrow is eid Inshallah and I know several murghi walay and mochi[cobblers] will turn to a Qasai and would play with poor animals by hurting them. Sacrifice is not all about cutthing the throat, Islam gives a complete description how an animal should be sacrificed and what veins should be cut etc etc. This is something I was not really aware of and I now realize that several muslims never follow basics which are required to perform a legitimate Qurbani.
MQ’s comments are quite annoying. I can’t believe someone can make such an outlandish connection between two totally different things. I completely agree with Adnan in pointing out the ghastly flaws in MQ’s argument and subsequent comments that support MQ. And, if someone should be accused of changing the discussion of this post, it should be MQ and not those who disagreed with her.
Ah. Once more the discussion gets highjacked into something so different from the post. To me this is not about religion and its clear in teh post that it is not about language. It is about the lack of compassion shown to either animals or to people being hurt. That is not something you need a college degree to learn. When we see someone being hurt (animal of humans) should we try to stop or heal it, or should we laugh?
s/Abraham[SAW]/Abraham[AS]