分享了FB黃聖傑大德的貼文。
全球第一個素食城鎮出現在印度囉!
由於當地耆那教僧侶絕食抗議，Gujarat政府於2014年8月14日宣布，
Palitana城鎮為「無肉區」。該區不得屠殺動物，且不得販售肉品和蛋!!!
恆定~~我們可以歡欣地放鞭炮ing慶祝一下
In India, The World's First Vegetarian City
After monks went on a hunger strike to push for a citywide ban on animal slaughter,
the local government declared Palitana a meat-free zone. But the city's Muslims are
not happy.
Article illustrative image Partner logo A cityscape of Palitana
PALITANA — Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world and preaches
a path of non-violence towards all living beings. In India, about 5 million people
practice it.
"Everyone in this world — whether animal or human being or a very small creature
— has all been given the right to live by God," says Virat Sagar Maharaj, a Jain
monk. "So who are we to take away that right from them? This has been written
in the holy books of every religion, particularly in Jainism."
The mountainous town of Palitana in the state of Gujarat is home to one of Jain's
holiest sites, and many residents don't want any kind of killing happening here.
Recently, 200 Jain monks began a hunger strike, threatening to fast until death
until the town was declared an entirely vegetarian zone.
The Jain monks on hunger strike — Photo: Shuriah Niazi
"Meat has always been easily available in this city, but it's against the teaching of our religion,"
says Sadhar Sagar, a Jain believer. "We always wanted a complete
ban on non-vegetarian food in this holy site."
They have gotten their wish. On Aug. 14, the Gujarat government declared
Palitana a "meat-free zone." They instituted a complete ban on the sale of meat and eggs and
have also outlawed the slaughter of animals within the town's limits.
It's a victory for vegetarians, but bad for business for others. Fishermen such as Nishit
Mehru have had to stop working entirely. "We have been stopped from selling
anything in Palitana," he says. "They shouldn't have taken this one-sided decision.
How will we survive if we are not allowed to sell fish? The government should not
make decisions under pressure."
On behalf of other fishermen, Valjibhai Mithapura took the issue to the state's
high court, which has called on the state government to explain the ban put in place
locally. It will then make a decision about whether this regulation is legal. Gujarat
is ruled by the Hindu nationalist BJP party, whose leader is Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The population of Palitana is 65,000 and about 25% of them are Muslim.
Local Muslim religious scholar Syed Jehangir Miyan disagrees with the ban. "There are so many
people living in this city, and the majority of them are non-vegetarian," he says.
"Stopping them from eating a non-vegetarian diet is a violation of their rights. We
have been living in this city for decades. It is wrong to suddenly put a ban on the whole city now."
Read the full article: In India, The World's First Vegetarian City
Worldcrunch - top stories from the world's best news sources
Follow us: @worldcrunch on Twitter | Worldcrunch on Facebook
細數明星吃素各種理由~營養新知和大陸推廣素食近況 (作者：做個素食英雄吧)
除了豆奶，美國星巴克要提供椰奶了！植物奶咖健康 (作者：做個素食英雄吧)
