Lioness Sita And Lion Akbar Belonging To Different Religious Faiths Smack Love Jihad

By Syed Ali Mujtaba, New Age Islam 21 February 2024 The Calcutta High Court is hearing a petition filed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) cadres as to why a zoo in Silliguri, West Bengal has put a lioness named Sita in the same enclosure with a lion that shares the name with the Mughal emperor Akbar. The Hindu group is demanding that the lioness named Sita should be separated from the lion Akbar. They should not share the same enclosure as two animals belonging to different religious faiths and as such smack love jihad, which is sacrilegious. According to reports, the two big cats were brought to the Siliguri zoo from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoo along with eight other animals, as part of an animal exchange programme on February 12. (Representational Photo) ------- The petition in the court filed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) says such a misdemeanour has hurt Hindu religious sensibilities and the animals should be separated. Media reported; “Sita cannot stay with Akbar,” VHP leader Anup Mondal told reporters in Kolkata. “Such naming of animals after the name of religious deities is very much sacrilegious and tantamount to blasphemy,” he added. In its petition, VHP has demanded action against the officials of the Zoo in Silliguri where the two animals’ male and female are put in the same cage. Alarmed at the protest the VHP, and the zoo officials separated the two lions and transferred them to the zoo in Tripura. The protests by the VHP have sparked concerns in India about the rising intolerance by the Hindu hardliner groups. This is yet another example of how Hindu extremist groups are raising the Spector of intolerance and setting an example of how their actions and words may inspire the coming generation. ------- Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/lioness-sita-lion-akbar-religious-faiths-love-jihad/d/131765 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism