Why I oppose #BeefBan. Though I don't encourage eating beef

It’s actually ridiculous to talk about this beef ban. According to the information that I have, though I can’t verify it myself, people in ancient India used to eat beef irrespective of his or her religion. The reason why that changed was the need to protect cattle the way we protect the tiger now. It was because of the usefulness of the other products such as milk and butter that we get from cows and buffaloes.

I have not done any research on this though this information has come from sources which I trust the most. So if you look at history, this ban on beef from a religious perspective is totally ridiculous. It’s not a religious issue to eat beef or not. It’s a very personal choice. There are scores of Hindu friends of mine who eat beef and there are scores of friends from other religions who are not supposed to eat beef, but they do. At the same time, my father, a practising Muslim, did not eat beef because it did not suit him. It could be restricted because of health issues. In fact, I would not like to encourage the habit of eating meat, including beef, in India. Among all kinds of meat, beef perhaps has the greatest ability to enhance "pitta". I am looking at it from an Ayurvedic point of view. According to Ayurveda, it has great nutritional value in cold countries. In hot countries like ours, if it is taken in large amounts and without precaution, such as taking alkalising food, it can even lead to the growth of cancer cells. Another factor is the quality of meat, which is induced with a lot of antibiotics. Furthermore, we can’t ignore the cruelty towards animals in slaughterhouses. Ayurveda says that when a significant amount of fear is induced to the animals, it gets into the flesh and that’s not good meat to consume. So one can exercise voluntary restrain when it comes to consuming beef, but even Ayurveda never justifies a ban. If it has to be banned on health grounds, we must also ban inhaling polluted air or consuming vegetable which are injected with pesticides.

I remember going to Kalamandalam in Kerala in 1996 to learn Kathakali. It’s a predominantly Hindu area though it’s disgusting to talk about places in terms of religion. But as the issue has come up, I’m forced to do this. I went to a restaurant, owned by a Hindu - as the display of several Hindu deities at the cash counter suggested - which offered beef on its menu. I was surprised and even cross-checked with the person sitting at the cash counter. Later, as I asked around, I got to know that Hindu restaurants — though eating joints have no religion — do serve beef in Kerala. Though I have not seen this happening in other states of India, this incident suggests that religion has nothing to do with the consumption of beef. The ban simply implies a very limited understanding of religion, people and culture.

It’s not about beef only. Recently, one of my films, Unfreedom, which would be releasing in the US on May 30, was banned in India three months ago. Maharashtra and Kerala have banned drinking. But these things are only encouraging the black market. Gujarat applied the prohibition several years ago. But when I was in Gujarat, I could see many people drinking in a restaurant. So such decisions to ban are immature.

At the same time, we should not also make a hue and cry about the issue from a religious point of view. It should be dealt from a political point of view instead. Muslims should not feel threatened by all of these. They should not say: "Look what the majority is doing to us". Such reactions are also counterproductive. It should be definitely talked about and I understand we can’t exclude religion from politics in India. But religion must be kept away from this debate as much as possible because it’s a political decision by a political party. Perhaps those who have banned it in Maharashtra actually don’t believe in this ban. It’s a political move and I don’t think they are trying to suppress Islam by doing so.

However, it’s really sad to read news reports about Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi asking people who want to eat beef to go to Pakistan and other Arab countries. He seems to be completely out of touch with what is happening on the ground. He is perhaps trying to prove his loyalty to the BJP more than any other minister will require to because he has an Arabic name. I don’t know whether he is a practitioner of Islam. I don’t know him personally, I don’t know whether he goes to a mosque or not, whether he observes roza or not. I don’t know his religious background. But I do know he has an Arabic name like I have. People don’t know whether I practise Islam or not. That’s my personal choice and nobody has any business inquiring about it. My connection with the divine — the unfathomable power governing the universe — is an absolutely personal thing and I don’t want to talk about it.

Similarly, I have no interest in knowing if Naqvi is a Muslim or not but he does have an Arabic name. A stigma has been associated with most people with Arabic names, including me, in the post-9/11 world. Whenever I travel abroad, especially to the US, it’s always in the back of my mind that I may be stopped. But I have never been stopped. I had been to the US several times but the authorities there never questioned me for more than two seconds despite the fact that the name on my passport reads: Khandkar Mohammed Adil Hussain. In spite of this huge Arabic name given to me by my family and which is quite a mouthful — it’s very difficult to fit in this name in air tickets — I have never had the energy and time to change my name. But I have never been questioned twice in the airports abroad though I still have apprehensions. So I would say, people with Arabic names may have — though they need not have — a tendency to prove their loyalty and patriotism. This is very tragic.

But only one political party is not responsible for this situation. In Assam, the Congress manipulated and segregated the Assamese people in the name of religion and language. It has been responsible to a great extent for the repeated massacres that have happened in the state, from Nellie in 1983 to BTAD in December last year. It’s not the BJP and Congress, but most political parties thrive on installing the idea of fear among people who are minorities — be it religious or linguistic. This trick of divisive politics was initially played by the British and it has always been there in India.

But it has now come to the forefront because of the so-called right wing government at the Centre. I don’t see the BJP as a right wing party. As of now, it seems that the BJP government’s decisions are meant only for the rich. Perhaps it believes in the theory that if wealth trickles down from top to bottom and if it makes the rich richer, it will eventually help the poor out of poverty. If that theory works, I have absolutely no objection to that. The government should perhaps take a holistic and inclusive approach towards development. It should look around the world and take lessons from the most developed nations. It should look at their material development and how it’s affecting their society. Every third person in the US sees a psychiatrist in spite of having all the material facilities. Is this the way they would like India to go?

I’m sure the BJP government is intelligent enough to understand that going against the Muslims will not work in India because the majority of Hindus are secular. They are educated and evolved. Look at the fan following of the three Khans of the Indian film industry. Look at the followers of the Khans of Hindustani music. They are loved by crores of Indians and majority of them are Hindus. Nobody in Assam cares about my religion. I was given the best Assamese award last year. I accepted the award to prove a point to the Muslim political leaders in Assam who claim to be the protector of Islam in the state but their biggest contribution has been to create a poisonous political environment where my niece, who happens to be the great-granddaughter of the legendary Indian filmmaker Pramathesh Barua, is declared a doubtful voter in Assam. That is despite the fact that her father’s younger brother was declared the best Assamese in 2014. If this could happen to the niece of Adil Hussain and the great-granddaughter of Pramathesh Barua, imagine what could happen to a poor person with an Arabic name. Will these politicians stand for him or her? These politicians are of the same breed of opportunists as any other politicians in the country. They have nothing to do with Islam or Muslims. They don’t care about the poor Muslims in Assam.

I accepted the award to send out a message to my fellow citizens to ignore political rhetoric and rise above the divisive politics. The award given to me amplifies the fact that the social cohesion and fabric are still intact. Someone can stand up and ask: "How could Adil Hussain become the best Assamese?"

I admit that we all do try to safeguard our interests, but the question remains: "How far will you allow your integrity to deteriorate?" I would like to request Naqvi to stop making such statements. It’s absolutely not necessary. It’s to some extent harmful. You are setting a bad example as a minister who is supposed to be wiser enough to rule us and take India forward in the 21st century. You must talk sense.

(As told to Kaushik Deka).