Official Shoots Eid al-Adha Sacrifice Cow with Rifle, Dividing Malaysian Public
A Malaysian state chief minister is being investigated by police after a viral video showed him shooting a sacrificial cow with a rifle during Eid al-Adha. The actions of the Malaysian official have triggered public outrage and raised questions regarding the use of firearms, animal welfare, and the rules governing ritual slaughter.
According to the South China Morning Post on Tuesday (2/6/202 $ ext{6}$), police in Perlis, a small northern state bordering Thailand, stated they have seized a rifle believed to have been used by Chief Minister Abu Bakar Hamzah in Kuala Perlis on Thursday (28/5). Officers also seized nine rounds of ammunition and recorded a statement from Abu Bakar after a police report was filed regarding a 38-second video circulating on social media, according to Kangar Police Chief Yusharifuddin Mohd Yusop on Saturday (30/5).
Although inspections confirmed that Abu Bakar holds a valid firearm licence for the weapon, police are investigating the case under Section 39 of the Malaysian Arms Act 1960, which regulates the use of firearms in public places. Penalties for offenders include up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 2,000 ringgit (US$504), or both.
Abu Bakar defended his actions, claiming the cow had escaped and become aggressive during the ceremony. “I did not shoot the cow for fun. The cow became aggressive,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today. “If we had left it and the cow had gored someone to death, who would have been responsible?”
Abu Bakar stated that he shot the animal in the leg, after which the cow fell and was slaughtered “as usual”. In a social media post, Abu Bakar noted that he had personally slaughtered 25 cows as part of Eid al-Adha. “The shot was aimed at the upper thigh area with the intention of immobilising the cow’s movement, not to kill it,” he wrote in a separate post, according to reports by local newspaper The Star.
The incident quickly polarised Malaysian social media, with some accusing Abu Bakar of cruelty and others arguing he acted to protect those around him. “Does he carry a firearm to all public events?” asked one user. Another wrote: “Possessing a firearm legally does not mean you can just shoot legally.” A third raised concerns: “Is the cow still considered halal?”
The Mufti of Perlis, Mohd Asri Zainable Abidin, subsequently stated that livestock that are halal but too dangerous or difficult to capture for slaughter may be shot or subdued first, according to local media.
However, vocal Jelutong Member of Parliament Sanisvara Nethaji Rayer, who currently serves as the chairman of the Penang Hindu Waqf Board and is better known as RSN Rayer, questioned why Abu Bakar brought a firearm to a religious event. “The viral video clearly shows the cow standing in an open area. No one is seen near the cow. The cow is standing still and not attacking anyone or the crowd,” Rayer said in a statement on Saturday (30/5). “So why did Abu Bakar shoot the cow?” he asked, urging the police to investigate and “perhaps arrest” the Perlis leader.
Police have urged the public not to speculate and warned that action will be taken against behaviour that threatens public order.