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An Indian Monkey Loved to Death
HYDERABAD,
India, Sept 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Thousands of people
attended the funeral of a monkey which was revered as a divine
incarnation of a Hindu god in the southern Indian state of Andhra
Pradesh, police said Sunday, news agencies reported.
But
animal rights activists said the animal, which collapsed on Saturday,
died of starvation and exhaustion after it was trapped inside a temple
for a month by the over zealous worshippers.
According
to local police officials, 3,000 to 4,000 people were present when the
monkey was cremated according to Hindu custom, during a ceremony
organized by the temple committee.
The
animal had strayed into a temple dedicated to Hanuman -- the Hindu
monkey god -- in Timmaganipalli village, some 400 kilometers (248
miles) south of the Andhra Pradesh capital Hyderabad.
When
the villagers discovered the monkey sitting on the idol of Hanuman
they thought it was a reincarnation of the god and refused to let it
out of the temple.
Hundreds
of pilgrims poured in to seek blessings, often garlanding the monkey
with flowers, besides making offerings of money and coconuts.
"We
tried to regulate the traffic of pilgrims to ensure proper rest to the
monkey but it had created quite a sensation that at least 300 to 400
people would come everyday to see it," N. Kalidas, deputy
superintendent of police told AFP.
Even
when the monkey stopped eating, animal rights groups were not allowed
to take it away. "The monkey was quite old and both its hind
legs were paralyzed," Narendra Reddy secretary of animal rights
group Karuna told AFP.
"It
clearly needed help and we wanted to have it shifted to a veterinary
hospital but the villagers just refused to co-operate with us,"
he said.
A
team of vets examined the monkey after the courts intervened last
week. Karuna had petitioned the Andhra Pradesh high court to
rescue the monkey, which they claimed was being exploited by the
priests of the temple to make money.
The
court passed a directive on Wednesday ordering the local police and
administration to ensure the monkey was not harassed by pilgrims and
given proper medical attention, but it died a few days later.
“We
think this is amazing. Lord Hanuman himself has decided to visit our
village," says Gauramma, a devotee lining up to offer her prays
to the monkey.
Islam
places great emphasis on animal rights in Islam and prohibits the
torture or any form of cruelty towards animals.
Prophet
Mohammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) have himself
demonstrated mercy towards animals in several incidents which showed
the extent to which he was keen to protect animals’ natural rights.
Prominent
Muslim Scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi said: “Islam preceded Animal
Care Societies by thirteen hundred years and made kindness to animals
a part of the faith and cruelty to them a sufficient reason for a
person to be thrown into Hell-fire.
“The
protection of animals’ rights found its realization in Shari`ah as
represented in legal textbooks. It is really interesting to notice how
the idea of animals’ rights occupied the minds of medieval Muslim
jurists. It is a distinctive characteristic of the Shar`iah that all
animals have legal rights which must be enforced by the state.”
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