Cow Declared National Animal Demand Gains Support From Several Muslim Organisations Ahead of Eid-ul-Azha

The renewed demand emerged after prominent Muslim clerics and community leaders publicly advocated stricter nationwide legal protection for cows, including uniform laws against slaughter and trade. Maulana Arshad Madani, president of a faction of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind named after himself, reiterated that he had first raised the issue during an All-Faith Conference held in Mumbai in 2014. He called for the cow to be officially declared the national animal and demanded stringent legal provisions prohibiting slaughter and trade involving the animal.

The issue has gained fresh momentum ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, a religious festival during which the sacrifice of animals, including goats and cows, is traditionally observed in several regions.

Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, national president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, said he intends to convene a meeting of representatives from various Muslim organisations in Delhi to prepare a joint memorandum for submission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to him, granting national animal status to the cow would ensure uniformity in cow slaughter laws across all states and could help curb incidents of mob lynching carried out in the name of cow protection.

Siraj Qureshi, president of the All India Qureshi Jamaat, whose members have traditionally been associated with the meat trade, stated that his organisation was prepared to seek a direct meeting with the Prime Minister regarding the proposal.

Maulana Yasoob Abbas of the All India Shia Personal Law Board argued that the government’s approach toward cow protection should remain consistent throughout the country rather than varying from state to state. His remarks came amid recent discussions in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party recently formed the government, regarding restrictions that would permit only cows above a certain age to be slaughtered, similar to existing laws in some states.

Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board also supported the proposal, stating that the cow should be declared the national animal as a mark of respect for Hindu religious sentiments.

The demand itself is not new within India’s political landscape. Cow protection has remained a core ideological issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2014 election manifesto pledged protection of cows as part of preserving India’s cultural heritage, while the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has consistently advocated stricter nationwide legislation banning cow slaughter.

However, criticism surrounding the issue has persisted from Muslim leaders and opposition parties, who allege inconsistency in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s approach toward beef consumption and cattle slaughter laws. While several Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states in northern and central India have implemented stringent restrictions on cow slaughter, the party has adopted comparatively flexible positions in Goa and northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura.

Opposition leaders and critics have further argued that India has continued to remain among the world’s leading beef exporters during the tenure of Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in several states.

Kausar Hayat Khan of the Indian Union Muslim League, who also supports the demand for declaring the cow the national animal, highlighted what he described as contradictions in policy implementation. He noted that beef consumption continues openly in Bharatiya Janata Party-governed states such as Goa, Assam, and several northeastern regions, while stricter prohibitions are enforced in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. According to him, a single national law would eliminate these inconsistencies.

The growing support for the proposal from sections of Muslim leadership has added a new dimension to India’s long-standing debate over cow protection, religious sentiment, and uniform legal enforcement. With the issue resurfacing ahead of a major religious festival, the demand is expected to intensify political and social discussions across the country in the coming weeks.