Chapter 9. The Use of Sacrifice Feast of Eid ul-Adha in Bengal as an Instrument of Promoting Communal Violence for Political Purposes: The Situation in the 1920s, 1930s, and 2017 Marek Moroń ABSTRACT: The author presents how the religious celebration of Eid ul-Adha, which involves animal sacrifice, was used as an instrument of promoting a particular political agenda, related to developing communal hate and violence between Hindus and Muslims in Bengal of the 1920s and 1930s. The description and short analysis of the meaning of this celebration is followed by the review of the political background in the 19th and 20th centuries India. Particular emphasis is put on the issue of cow slaughtering—used for political purposes, related to creating the communal enemy and political violence. In the last paragraph, the author concludes on whether the research purpose of the paper was achieved. He also gives a brief note on how the subject of the chapter is an actual and valid issue in Indian politics in 2017. The research methods employed by the author include literature studies and references, as well as interviews with author’s friends from Bengal. The author participated as a guest in the Eid ul-Adha sacrifices at the end of the 1960s in Dhaka and at the end of the 1980s in Kolkata. In all those cases the feast of sacrifice took place in the households of upper middle class families and was always a private , “at home” event. KEYWORDS: Bengal, cow sacrifice, Eid ul Adha, Hindu, Muslim, politics Eid ul-Adha—the Muslim feast It is a common practice in many religious communities to organize joyous celebrations in the form of festivals or specially dedicated days. Such festivities are often accompanied by sumptuous feasts, attended by families and other members of the communities who are eager to celebrate together. Christian celebrations should be mentioned here—not only the well-recognized
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