A Prudent Decision to Ban the Sale of Halal-Certified Products

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 21 November, 2023 The Uttar Pradesh government has banned the sale of halal-certified products with immediate effect in the state. The government has also prohibited the manufacturing, storage, distribution of halal-certified products. ----- Muslims may take it as an infringement upon their (religious) rights but any sane and secular person will agree with the UP-government’s decision to ban the sale of halal-certified products. There's nothing communal about it. Agreed, the current political dispensation, esp. the UP government, is openly against Muslims, there are certain secular decisions that must be accepted and appreciated. This halal-charade, I call it a nautanki, began just a few years ago when Muslims became all the more hardcore. Now everything comes with a halal-tag; halal-tea, halal-sugar and what not! What's going on? Didn't Muslims, until, a decade ago, eat and consume things sans this halal-tag? If they want to eat halal-meat, they're free to approach a Muslim butcher or a restaurant where halal-meat is served. Who stops them? This has been going on for centuries. Earlier, even Hindus would make no bones and eat halal-meat and go to a meat shop where halal-meat was available. It's because of the extreme rigidity of a majority of Muslims in all activities, Hindus and Sikhs also became too adamant and religiously assertive. Now Sikhs as well as Hindus and Jains will insist on having Jhatka meat (though Jains ostensibly don't consume meat as ahimsa is the leitmotif of Jainism) and products with non-halal tags. Shouldn't this nonsense come to an end? Moreover, halal-tags suggest that the products have been made according to Islamic ways of consumption. Why should others follow those Islamic dietary idiosyncrasies? A green dot is enough to declare that the product is completely veg. Can't a Muslim have such products that have a green dot or tag? What else do you want? If a Muslim thinks that a specific cosmetic product has pork-fat, he or she should read the label. Nowadays, all products have to mention the ingredients and elements that have gone into the making of the products. You cannot hide anything and any information. No one is short-changing Muslims. They've a problem with everything. In a secular democracy, there's no place for religio-communal specifications like halal-tea, halal-biscuits or halal-cake. Veg or non-veg labels are enough. Live peacefully and let others also live peacefully. When there're so many pressing issues, Muslims shouldn't make a hue and cry of halal or no-halal. Moreover, your Allah is unlike you to snigger at your food habits and dietary preferences on earth, though this applies to the imaginary gods of all faiths. So, grow up and smell the coffee. … A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. -- URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/prudent-ban-halal-certified-products/d/131151 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism