The term ‘Halal’ is often heard in public discourses these days and seems to be the latest attempt of minority domination/tyranny being unleashed in Bharat. ‘Food Jihad’ is the most recent method of jihad that has found its way to the market and Bharat’s official airlines Air India has been found accepting the services of companies which serve only ‘Halal meat’ – a clear violation of the law of the land and provisions enshrined in the Constitution.

A young lawyer, Ishkaran Bhandari, has brought this violation to the attention  of Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Hardeep Puri. This brings us to a very pertinent question: what is Halal and why is it being pushed upon majority of Bharatiyas who are not Muslims?

What is Halal?

Halal is the Arabic term for anything which is ‘permitted’ according to the Islamic law as stated in the Quran. However, in this we are dealing with what Halal meat and food products mean,, and how it is being imposed on a majority of Bharatiyas who do not consume ‘Halal’. Although Halal India, the official Halal certification authority in Bharat, states that:  “Halal Products are universal products not only suitable for Muslims consumption, but also for everyone, including non-Muslims”; it is important to note that Halal meat is slaughtered as per Sharia laws laid down in the Quran.

Some important rules for Halal meat are:-

• The slaughter can be performed only by a Muslim or those who are known as ‘People of the Book’ (Jews, Christians etc.). This essentially means Hindus and Sikhs (including Dalits and SC/ST and OBC) would not find employment in these slaughter houses.
• The head of the animal to be slaughtered has to be aligned with Qiblah (the direction of Mecca).
• While Jhatka meat refers to the swift act of slaughtering the animal with a single blow causing instant death; Halal involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe.
• The animal may or may not be stunned. Either ways Halal is a slow, torturous death which many believe to be a violation of animal rights.
• Most importantly: Islamic prayer known as Shahada has to be recited to ‘bless’ the meat and make it fit for consumption of Muslims. Why would (and should) a Hindu consume meat that has been blessed with Islamic prayers?

Ridiculously enough, Halal certification is being pushed onto products ranging from cosmetics to chocolates to pharma; you name it, they have it! A movement in Australia has been started against this ‘food tyranny’.

The latest form of Jihad

In his article titled “The Most Intolerant Wins: The Dictatorship of the Small Minority” Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains how a small minority dominates over the food choices of a majority of the population with whom they cohabit a place. Essentially, economics would dictate a company to choose Halal because a consumer of non-Halal food may eat Halal; the opposite is not true. Therefore, companies would prefer getting a Halal certification to avoid loss of business.

And Bharat has not escaped this dictatorship of the minority as well. An article in Swarajya points out that although Muslims are just 15% of the country’s population, a significantly higher proportion of Halal meat is being sold in Bharat and the number is only rising every year. As explained, this is because a majority of Hindus are neither particular about the kind of meat they consume nor are they aware of the consequences of their choices. This in turn gives minorities the power to decide which kind of meat would dominate the market.

Halal certification is not a Bharat specific phenomenon and world over the Muslim Ummah (Community/Brotherhood) is imposing Halal on non-Muslims. Even Bharatiya companies and brands are acquiring Halal certification so that they may not lose out due to the lack of it. As per an Adroit Market Research study, by 2025 the global Halal market would touch USD (United States Dollars) 9.71 trillion.

This nothing but an attempt to impose a deeply troubling and rooted in Islam rule upon non-Muslims. As pointed out earlier, this is violative of both the SC/ST Act and Articles 14 & 25 of the Constitution. A Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) conducting business with a company that violates the law of the land is unacceptable. It is also essential that Hindu society at large understands the implication of such certification and the need to raise our voices against such religious discrimination.

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