philosoraptor42

There's been a new conflict between religion and the state. This time it isn't a terrorist attack or even an offensive stageplay or book. This time the state wants to destroy a religious group's object of worship.

The object of worship is a bull.
The bull has TB.

But this bull ain't goin' nowhere without a fight!




The Guardian article gives up-to-the-minute news of what is happening to the bull.  There is something rather farscical about the whole thing:

I just wish I knew a bit more about the health threat. The best I've been able to find is this:

"They will be obliged to reconsider the public health objectives that underlie the surveillance and slaughter policy, and come to a view as to whether, in the reasonable pursuit of those objectives, the slaughter of this animal - or some less intrusive measure - would be proportional given the serious infringement of the community's rights ... that slaughter would involve," he said. The judge said the danger to humans from bovine TB was "particularly small" and the risk to other animals was minimised by isolating the bull.

This is from an old article where the judge was prepared to allow Shambo's case a little more consideration and to cancel the then-current orders to have Shambo slaughtered. It seems, however, that this didn't last. Anyway, I reckon I'm probably in favour of the slaughter of Shambo and it seems like the Hindu traditions have not been ignored. I thought people would find this entertaining nonetheless.