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.
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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.
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URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/prudent-ban-halal-certified-products/d/131151
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