On various social media platforms, there have been posts surfacing recently regarding the concepts of biryani and halal. There is a claim being made by users that in a legal case, Muslims have stated that the meaning of halal is not fulfilled until the cook spits in it.
Users claim that in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, many places have removed halal stickers and boards. The love for biryani among Hindus has been shattered, hence there has been a decrease in crowds at Muslim eateries. They are also saying that now they have to think about what kind of food they prefer. The issue of spitting has become the center of controversy and has now turned into a social issue.
User named Jitendra ECI has made the aforementioned claim .This post has received over 400 reposts and over 6000 likes on X, while attracting more than 220,000 views.
A user named Vikas Pratap Singh Rathore has made the above claim in a reply to a post by the Kesariya Rashtravadi Team (KRT), where the KRT has appealed for the exclusion of Muslims at every level.
On social media, other users are also making the same claim that the meaning of “Halal” is spitting.
Fact Check
To know the truth behind viral claims, the DFRAC team searched on Google using certain keywords. During this search, it was found that the mentioned case in the viral claim is from the year 2021, and it is not related to Tamil Nadu but to the Kerala High Court.
The DFRAC team found that no Muslim organization or individual had made any such statement. In fact, this part of the claim is related to a petition filed by the former president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Kerala, S.R Kumar, against the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which manages the Sabarimala temple.
In this petition, Kumar had accused the Board of being responsible for using spoiled jaggery in the prasadam (offering to the devotees) and raised objections to the use of halal-certified jaggery in Hindu temples.
We have obtained a text copy of the uploaded hearing on the website verdictum.in, which contains the aforementioned claim.
Here, we have found that the above claim is a part of the statement given by the petitioner, S.R. Kumar, and not an argument presented by any Muslim institution or individual in the court.
Currently, Kumar holds the position of General Convener of the Sabarimala Karma Samiti, which is an organization established to protect the rituals and traditions of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. Kumar has been working with Hindu organizations for the past decade.
According to the petition, it is argued that consuming poor quality jaggery can potentially harm the health of devotees, whereas using ‘Halal jaggery’ for preparing prasad is deemed inappropriate as it should be made according to Hindu practices, which are not Halal.
According to a report by News Minute, the High Court questioned Kumar’s understanding of Halal, stating that he should have delved deeper into the concept before challenging the use of Halal-certified products.
Justices P.J. Ajitkumar and Anilkumar Narendran were hearing the plea filed by Kundapura Ganesh Bhat and Narendranath K. demanding a more detailed hearing before making any decision on the matter.
What does Halal mean?
In Arabic, the word ‘Halal’ means ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’. The rules of Halal food are mentioned in Islam’s holy book, the Quran, and explained in the Hadiths.
Islam prohibits certain things, such as pork and its by-products, blood, and alcohol.
For meat to be considered Halal, the animal should be slaughtered with a sharp knife in the name of Allah. This is called ‘Zabihah’.
The utensils and equipment used to prepare Halal food should not come into contact with non-Halal items.
Ensuring that no Haram elements, such as alcohol or pork, are mixed during the cooking process is important for Halal food. Halal food is consumed not only by Muslims but also by people from various cultural backgrounds.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check has made it clear that social media users’ claim is misleading – that in a court in Tamil Nadu, Muslims argued that Halal is not complete until a cook spits in it. The fact is that this claim was made by S. R. Kumar, the former president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), in his petition filed in Kerala.
