‘NOT RITE’

The Muslim community distanced itself from claims that a rise in the dumping of sheep entrails is connected to ritual killings for a religous celebration.

In fact, Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association Sulieman Bulbulia has insisted that any member of his community caught in illegal dumping should be prosecuted.

This issue emerged today when police, health inspectors and the Sanitation Service Authority were summoned to the upscale district of Atlantic Shores in Christ Church after two men were seen dumping sheep offal from a vehicle in a bushy area.

SSA spokesman Alf Padmore told Barbados TODAY that the owner of the vehicle, said to be  from the same area was contacted and the driver was cautioned under Nuisance Regulation 1969 and the Collection and Disposal of Refuse 1975 as well as the Rodent Regulations of 1969.

The area at Atlantic Shores, Christ Church where the animal remains were unlawfully disposed.

“They are being cautioned at this stage and not being charged because they are being cooperative,” Padmore told Barbados TODAY this evening.

He also revealed that the parties admitted to the illegal dumping and cooperated in removing the entrails.

But the SSA spokesman said that today’s unlawful dumping was connected to an increase in the dumping of sheep remains when the animals are slaughtered as part of an Islamic festival. He did not name the festival.

He said: “We have received a number of reports that because of the festival that is being held in celebration of the Muslim belief, there is an increase of the illegal dumping of the entrails of the ram.

“We would want to urge the members of that community to check with the nearest polyclinic to see the correct way of disposing of the entrails.

“You can only dispose of entrails with the advice and permission of the health inspectors.

“Not even from SSA. You must go through health first.

“All the SSA does is provide a hole at the landfill for the safe burial of the entrails…and even that burial is done with the advice from the health inspectors.

“So while we would want to commend them for celebrating their beliefs, we would want them to dispose of the entrails of the ram correctly.”

When Barbados TODAY reached Bulbulia for comment, he sought to set the record straight regarding the dumping of entrails.

Bulbulia said: “We have a system in place for the dumping entrails and so on.

“That is done through a skip that is provided at the mosque at Kensington New Road.

“So all the members of the community are urged to dump the entrails there and not to do anything illegally.

“So anything done illegally is without our knowledge and obviously without our consent.

“We have done our best to make sure that things are put in place to ensure that none of that is done.

“So anybody acting outside of that should be brought before the court.”