Beef or mutton? Mystery over India lynching lab results

[Gungnir]

Source: BBC

Last year, a Muslim man in northern India was killed in a mob lynching over allegations that his family had been storing and consuming beef at home. The case sparked widespread outrage and a furious debate about religious tolerance. Now, there's a fresh twist in the case that has raised questions over the investigation - and highlighted tensions over beef in India.

Mohammed Akhlaq was beaten to a death in the district of Dadri in September over rumours he had consumed beef.

Hindus consider cows to be sacred, and for many, eating beef is taboo. The slaughter of cows is also banned in many Indian states.
...
Later, it was also revealed that the meat was never in his house, but found inside a bin near his home.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36518974

[IronLionZion]

1. Why care what someone else eats in their home?

as if it's anyone else's business.

Do they have moral issues with selling goods and services to the biggest beef eating nation in the world: USA?

[Warpy]

2. Old time religion

I remember Catholics back in the 50s complaining about dinner companions ordering steak on a Friday. Their fried shrimp made them feel horribly deprived, so the steak eaters should have had more compassion or something. I was a kid and I thought the whole thing was stupid.

Oh, I'll never feed pork to a Jew or Muslim nor any of the other forbidden foods. However, in my own home, they and every other religious or fad dieter can STFU if I eat "forbidden" food when they're not there.

Likewise at restaurants. FWIW, I'd rather have the shrimp than the beef, Friday or not. Just STFU and eat your own food.

I think the first thing piety removes is your personal boundaries. I insist on mine.

[cstanleytech]

3. I wish I could eat shrimp or any shellfish for that matter as some of the recipes look good *sigh*

[Warpy]

7. I can't help you except say that monkfish is a good texture swap

for lobster in highly seasoned things like lobster Newburg or lobster Thermidor. I've never found a suitable swap for shrimp or scallops and Krab is good in salads but nowhere else.

I've found that butchered down turkey is great in some pork recipes and thigh meat can sub for veal.

[cstanleytech]

8. Monkfish? Thanks for the tip I will have to see if any of the stores in my area carry it and

if its in my budget of course.

[IronLionZion]

16. I've read on DU that cicadas can be swapped for shrimp

in many recipes. And cicadas are free if you catch them yourself but there are probably places that sell them.

[Warpy]

17. Dunno. I've had grasshopper

and while nice, it didn't taste anything like shrimp. Cicada gumbo wouldn't fool anybody.

I've fooled people with monkfish thermidor.

[scscholar]

5. If it was beef, we should care..

and that's the entire point here.

[IronLionZion]

6. No we shouldn't

and neither should the lynch mob who killed someone because he has different religious beliefs and didn't affect anyone else with his actions.

People have a right to not be murdered by their neighbors.

[Igel]

15. They do have a right not to be murdered.

However, some societies strongly believe in ensuring that community morality and behavioral standards are met.

If somebody does something inappropriate, although he's not guilty of any crimes, there's the assumption that somehow each member of society is responsible for his behavior. That lets them feel like they can destroy the person on behalf of their versions of morality.

(Before we feel all superior, remember the lion-hunting dentist? Right to the point of death threats and, IIRC, vandalism. Then there's the idea of firing people from jobs because of views they express off the job, even though there's no actual work-related actions that anybody can point to. It goes on. We the mob enforce a kind of morality, it's just not something as silly as having dead cow but really Serious and Important things, serious and important because we think they are.)

[ck4829]

11. Wow.

A mob beat an old man to death over a rumor (Plus the whole differing religion thing) and that's what should be taken away here?

[Skittles]

10. religious nuttery = they can make people believe ANYTHING

[mdbl]

12. Good point.

[Odin2005]

18. A lot of devout Hindus in India are extremely Islamophobic.

Such laws are basically a "fuck you" to Indian Muslims. A couple days ago I saw a map posted on Reddit about which Indian states ban the slaughter of cattle and they seem to mainly be the areas in the NW and north with the highest concentrations of Indian Muslims.

[IronLionZion]

19. Some American Hindus in the USA are for Trump

because they think he's pro-business and anti-Muslim

But yes, Muslims often get the short end of the stick in India. Many of them have migrated south and east where they have more rights, including the right to eat whatever they want since there are more Christians there who also eat beef. Many Christians over there also dislike the Muslims. Prime Minister Modi won his party's election mainly on the anti-Muslim support, even though at the time he was banned from coming to the US because of his inaction during the massacres and riots in his state where people literally got away with murder.

[Odin2005]

20. It seems like folks in Kerala and Tamil Nadu always have their heads screwed on straight.

Whenever I see data about India the southern tip always shows up as the most socially progressive part of the country.

[IronLionZion]

21. In some ways

They are great for healthcare, education, social programs, free school lunches, diversity and opposition to bigotry. Their economy and roads are pretty bad though and it's hard for industry to succeed there. They used to have a bad alcoholism problem which they have recently tried to control with prohibition. Government bureaucracy and corruption are out of control.

[iandhr]

4. As George Carlin said....

Sanctity of life. You believe in it? Personally, I think it’s a bunch of shit. Well, I mean, life is sacred? Who said so? God? Hey, if you read history, you realize that God is one of the leading causes of death. Has been for thousands of years. Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians all taking turns killing each other ‘cuz God told them it was a good idea. The sword of God, the blood of the land, vengeance is mine. Millions of dead motherfuckers. Millions of dead motherfuckers all because they gave the wrong answer to the God question.

And on the 10 commandments

Murder. But when you think about it, religion has never really had a big problem with murder. More people have been killed in the name of god than for any other reason. All you have to do is look at Northern Ireland, Cashmire, the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the World Trade Center to see how seriously the religious folks take thou shalt not kill. The more devout they are, the more they see murder as being negotiable. It depends on who’s doin the killin’ and who’s gettin’ killed. So, with all of this in mind, I give you my revised list of the two commandments:

Thou shalt always be honest and faithful to the provider of thy nookie.

&

Thou shalt try real hard not to kill anyone, unless of course they pray to a different invisible man than you.

Religion can be messed up

[Recursion]

9. First, that's only northern high-caste Hindus that have that religious requirement

lower-caste Hindus, people of other religions, and southern Indians have always eaten beef, and still do (it's only banned in a handful of states in India).

Secondly, the High Court overturned the possession bans in states that had them last year (before the lynching). The law was passed as agricultural, not religious, policy, so the Court said all the law can Constitutionally do is ban slaughter, not having the meat.

Right-wing Hinduism is scary as hell; that's who killed Gandhi, for that matter.

[ck4829]

13. This doesn't pass the smell test internationally

A report that magically confirms mob justice and now said mob wants to charge the entire family with conspiracy to 'provoke' them? That would be funny if someone wasn't murdered.

The police should find who sent this 'report' in and charge them as well.

[JI7]

14. they just wanted an excuse to kill him