The bane of charity
UZMA ALEEM reports sadaqa meat and their vendors are adding pollution in city environment
‘A man wearing dirty cloths throws few pieces of meat of sharp red colour in canal, kites and crows catch few of those pieces. Then a shocking incidence appears that one kite expires at canal bank followed by a crow. Another man throws more pieces of meat, this time kites and crows take the flight but do not take any piece. Another man comes and throws more torn pieces of same sharp red coloured meat then till sunset some people repeat this activity time and again. By the evening that particular place has filled with filthy red torn pieces of meat and sharp red coloured spots, flies are flying on that garbage and on two dead birds while a straw dog is trying to satisfy its appetite through the dead birds.’ This series of incidents happen at the canal road, which is one of the busy roads of provincial capital. Actually the religious ritual of giving sadaqaat or providing food to birds has become a heinous act of adding environmental pollution in the metropolis.
Many vendors of sadaqa meat can be found at different spots of main canal road of Lahore and at the bridge of river Ravi. These vendors sell one shopping bag of sadaqa meat of Rs. 10. People, who are passing by them on their motorbikes or cars, buy this sadaqa meat and vendors get their sadaqa by moving this shopping bag around their head (a conventional way to do the sadaqa) and then they throw the meat at the canal bank and move to the next car when traffic signal turns red. It is important to note that most of the people do not touch the shopping bags of the sadaqa meat because of bad odour of meat and dirty shopping bags. But these people firmly believe that they do it for virtue and all bad fortunes would be reverted through this.
While talking to Sunday Plus a sadaqa vendor Shafiq Babu said that they were standing at the road sides to revert the bad fortunes and they were doing it for the betterment of humanity. ‘When people give sadaqa meat and we throw this meat out then actually they throw their bad fortune away from them. We facilitate people by selling meat in cheap prices.’
When Splus probed about the texture and colour of meat Shafiq Babu said, ‘you know about the price hike, the prices of meat has also increased manifold. So we sell pieces of the lungs of cows or buffaloes, that is the reason that the meat looks tender and quite different from the red meat.’ While refusing the allegation of adding some toxic dying chemicals he said, ‘Lungs have the same colour and we do not add any chemical to dye it.’
On assurance from Sunday Plus for anonymity another Sadaqa meat vendor said, ‘we dye meat with sharp red colour to add sharpness and attract the people because the flesh of lungs is of light pink colour which fails to assert the attention of people who tend to give sadaqaat. We use red colour that we buy from paints and sanitary shops. But these dyes are not bad as we have been using these dyes since long.
When S+ asked about the birds’ expiring incidents and low tendency of birds of eating sadaqa meat, he said that it had no connection with low quality of meat or dying chemical, actually these birds expired because they got the bad fortune of people who gave their sadaqa. ‘Moreover we throw meat in huge quantity that they satisfy their appetite soon and then they do not turn back to have more pieces of meat.’
Neelofar Sadiq, a student of environmental sciences, said, these vendors of sadaqa meat are actually adding pollution in the environment of our city. Because they give poisonous meat to the birds and birds may expire after having those pieces of meat. Whereas these meat pieces add more garbage at the beautiful canal bank now the roadside of canal has become polluted as straw dogs roam around the garbage at the roadside. It becomes difficult for pedestrians to walk at footpaths or cross the roads.
While talking to S+ Asma Amir, representative of PCSIR, said, ‘if these sadaqa meat vendors dye meat with toxic chemicals of paints then they are committing crime because some of the chemicals of paints are very dangerous. If they would be given in excessive quantity they can be proved killing for humans too whereas birds can be easily expired by these chemicals. If birds do not eat meat dyed with toxic chemicals even then these chemicals can be poisonous for the spices living in canal water. Moreover if we throw toxic chemical dyes near trees and plants they can be hazardous for the vegetation and even soil.’
‘Some toxic chemicals of paints are resistant to degradation and, due to their environmental persistence, may move long distance and concentrate very far from the sites where they are thrown. These are bio-accumulate in the tissues of humans or animals. The most common among these substances, DDT and PCB (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls), are widely contaminating the canals and river Ravi they have been found in tortoise of Lahore canal and other marine mammals. PCBs persist in the environment for years and may bio-accumulate up to 70,000 times,’ she added.
She maintained that it was reasonable to believe that many other POPs, Persistent Organic Pollutants, contaminated the canal water but sub types of PCBs which were used in paints industry were also adding pollution in canal water.
Tariq Zaman, district officer of environment of city district government of Lahore (CDGL), was of the view that we had tried several times for the eradication of these encroachments at road sides of canal now their number has decreased but it could not be eradicated completely because these vendors rode on bicycles and moved quickly at the raid of officials of CDGL.
When S+ probed from eminent Islamic scholar Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi about the importance of sadaqaat in Islam and its specific way of giving dyed meat to birds, he said, “This was 1400 years ago long before it became fashionable or “politically correct” to care about “animal rights.” Yet even in this barbaric time the Prophet (S.A.W.) had banned forcing animals to fight for human entertainment (Sunan Abu Dawud #2556). And He taught kindness to animals and birds. We human beings are made viceroy of Allah on earth. What is expected of a viceroy, a trustee or ruler? If those over whom one commands power are killed without cause, have their homes polluted heedlessly with toxic wastes, and have deformities and diseases resulting from the careless and wasteful disposal of carcinogens, should not the ruler be asked if he is discharging his responsibilities and trust faithfully? Unfortunately, there have been altogether too many shameful, unnecessary cases of pollution that have taken their toil on the planet, the animals, and the plants that inhabit it. One wonders if man is taking his responsibilities seriously.”
“Quran 2:30 “…Your Lord said unto the angels: “Lo! I am about to place a viceroy on the earth…,” and Quran 22:65 “Do you not see that God has made subject to you (humans) all that is on the earth”
But what we are doing in the name of giving sadaqaat we are destroying environment and killing birds. In such a situation when people are dying of hunger and they do not have enough to eat then sadaqaat should be given to human beings. No doubt it is good to care for birds but it is better to give alms to humans then to birds.
He said, “ aim of alms is to create equality in society and it can be possible when we people will start giving importance to the needy people as well. A society can flourish only when its members do not spend all their wealth on the satisfaction of their own desires but reserve a portion of it for parents, relatives, neighbours, the poor and the incapacitated. As the saying goes: Charity begins at home. A true believer is thus always prepared, after meeting the needs of his family, to assist other people in need of his help.”
In such a situation when Islam does not promote such alms which are harming living beings like birds and aquatic animals and adding misery for mankind as pollutants and environmentalists also discourage such acts. Then CDGL should take immediate steps to curb this situation.
UZMA ALEEM reports sadaqa meat and their vendors are adding pollution in city environment
‘A man wearing dirty cloths throws few pieces of meat of sharp red colour in canal, kites and crows catch few of those pieces. Then a shocking incidence appears that one kite expires at canal bank followed by a crow. Another man throws more pieces of meat, this time kites and crows take the flight but do not take any piece. Another man comes and throws more torn pieces of same sharp red coloured meat then till sunset some people repeat this activity time and again. By the evening that particular place has filled with filthy red torn pieces of meat and sharp red coloured spots, flies are flying on that garbage and on two dead birds while a straw dog is trying to satisfy its appetite through the dead birds.’ This series of incidents happen at the canal road, which is one of the busy roads of provincial capital. Actually the religious ritual of giving sadaqaat or providing food to birds has become a heinous act of adding environmental pollution in the metropolis.
Many vendors of sadaqa meat can be found at different spots of main canal road of Lahore and at the bridge of river Ravi. These vendors sell one shopping bag of sadaqa meat of Rs. 10. People, who are passing by them on their motorbikes or cars, buy this sadaqa meat and vendors get their sadaqa by moving this shopping bag around their head (a conventional way to do the sadaqa) and then they throw the meat at the canal bank and move to the next car when traffic signal turns red. It is important to note that most of the people do not touch the shopping bags of the sadaqa meat because of bad odour of meat and dirty shopping bags. But these people firmly believe that they do it for virtue and all bad fortunes would be reverted through this.
While talking to Sunday Plus a sadaqa vendor Shafiq Babu said that they were standing at the road sides to revert the bad fortunes and they were doing it for the betterment of humanity. ‘When people give sadaqa meat and we throw this meat out then actually they throw their bad fortune away from them. We facilitate people by selling meat in cheap prices.’
When Splus probed about the texture and colour of meat Shafiq Babu said, ‘you know about the price hike, the prices of meat has also increased manifold. So we sell pieces of the lungs of cows or buffaloes, that is the reason that the meat looks tender and quite different from the red meat.’ While refusing the allegation of adding some toxic dying chemicals he said, ‘Lungs have the same colour and we do not add any chemical to dye it.’
On assurance from Sunday Plus for anonymity another Sadaqa meat vendor said, ‘we dye meat with sharp red colour to add sharpness and attract the people because the flesh of lungs is of light pink colour which fails to assert the attention of people who tend to give sadaqaat. We use red colour that we buy from paints and sanitary shops. But these dyes are not bad as we have been using these dyes since long.
When S+ asked about the birds’ expiring incidents and low tendency of birds of eating sadaqa meat, he said that it had no connection with low quality of meat or dying chemical, actually these birds expired because they got the bad fortune of people who gave their sadaqa. ‘Moreover we throw meat in huge quantity that they satisfy their appetite soon and then they do not turn back to have more pieces of meat.’
Neelofar Sadiq, a student of environmental sciences, said, these vendors of sadaqa meat are actually adding pollution in the environment of our city. Because they give poisonous meat to the birds and birds may expire after having those pieces of meat. Whereas these meat pieces add more garbage at the beautiful canal bank now the roadside of canal has become polluted as straw dogs roam around the garbage at the roadside. It becomes difficult for pedestrians to walk at footpaths or cross the roads.
While talking to S+ Asma Amir, representative of PCSIR, said, ‘if these sadaqa meat vendors dye meat with toxic chemicals of paints then they are committing crime because some of the chemicals of paints are very dangerous. If they would be given in excessive quantity they can be proved killing for humans too whereas birds can be easily expired by these chemicals. If birds do not eat meat dyed with toxic chemicals even then these chemicals can be poisonous for the spices living in canal water. Moreover if we throw toxic chemical dyes near trees and plants they can be hazardous for the vegetation and even soil.’
‘Some toxic chemicals of paints are resistant to degradation and, due to their environmental persistence, may move long distance and concentrate very far from the sites where they are thrown. These are bio-accumulate in the tissues of humans or animals. The most common among these substances, DDT and PCB (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls), are widely contaminating the canals and river Ravi they have been found in tortoise of Lahore canal and other marine mammals. PCBs persist in the environment for years and may bio-accumulate up to 70,000 times,’ she added.
She maintained that it was reasonable to believe that many other POPs, Persistent Organic Pollutants, contaminated the canal water but sub types of PCBs which were used in paints industry were also adding pollution in canal water.
Tariq Zaman, district officer of environment of city district government of Lahore (CDGL), was of the view that we had tried several times for the eradication of these encroachments at road sides of canal now their number has decreased but it could not be eradicated completely because these vendors rode on bicycles and moved quickly at the raid of officials of CDGL.
When S+ probed from eminent Islamic scholar Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi about the importance of sadaqaat in Islam and its specific way of giving dyed meat to birds, he said, “This was 1400 years ago long before it became fashionable or “politically correct” to care about “animal rights.” Yet even in this barbaric time the Prophet (S.A.W.) had banned forcing animals to fight for human entertainment (Sunan Abu Dawud #2556). And He taught kindness to animals and birds. We human beings are made viceroy of Allah on earth. What is expected of a viceroy, a trustee or ruler? If those over whom one commands power are killed without cause, have their homes polluted heedlessly with toxic wastes, and have deformities and diseases resulting from the careless and wasteful disposal of carcinogens, should not the ruler be asked if he is discharging his responsibilities and trust faithfully? Unfortunately, there have been altogether too many shameful, unnecessary cases of pollution that have taken their toil on the planet, the animals, and the plants that inhabit it. One wonders if man is taking his responsibilities seriously.”
“Quran 2:30 “…Your Lord said unto the angels: “Lo! I am about to place a viceroy on the earth…,” and Quran 22:65 “Do you not see that God has made subject to you (humans) all that is on the earth”
But what we are doing in the name of giving sadaqaat we are destroying environment and killing birds. In such a situation when people are dying of hunger and they do not have enough to eat then sadaqaat should be given to human beings. No doubt it is good to care for birds but it is better to give alms to humans then to birds.
He said, “ aim of alms is to create equality in society and it can be possible when we people will start giving importance to the needy people as well. A society can flourish only when its members do not spend all their wealth on the satisfaction of their own desires but reserve a portion of it for parents, relatives, neighbours, the poor and the incapacitated. As the saying goes: Charity begins at home. A true believer is thus always prepared, after meeting the needs of his family, to assist other people in need of his help.”
In such a situation when Islam does not promote such alms which are harming living beings like birds and aquatic animals and adding misery for mankind as pollutants and environmentalists also discourage such acts. Then CDGL should take immediate steps to curb this situation.
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