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Halal conspiracy theories

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Halal certificate stamp on a German salami package.

Halal conspiracy theories revolve around a series of Islamophobic conspiracy theories and hoaxes regarding halal certification in products such as food, beverages and cosmetics.[1][2] The claims usually made include that the sale of halal-certified goods in stores is a precursor to the terrorization or institution of Sharia law in a non-Muslim country,[3][4] that the fees paid by companies for halal certification fund Islamic terrorism,[5][6][7] that halal slaughter for meat is cruel, unhygienic or constitutes as animal sacrifice,[1][7][8] among others. The spread of these claims has resulted in boycotts and harassment campaigns against businesses who sell halal-certified products, most notably in Australia and India,[5][7][9] although anti-halal boycott movements also exist in Denmark, France, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.[1][10]

Background

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Halal, an Arabic word which translates to "permissible" in English, contrasted with haram ("forbidden"), designates things – including but not limited to food – that are lawful for Muslims to practice or consume, in accordance with the Quran. Islamic dietary laws dictate that food items must not contain pork or alcohol, and that halal animals must be slaughtered by a Muslim with the butcher uttering "In the name of Allah" before quickly slashing the animal's throat with a sharp knife, letting all blood drain out.[11][12] Certification for halal products is given by legal authorities in most Muslim-majority countries, while in other countries it is voluntarily acquired by companies and issued by non-governmental organizations for an annual fee.[7][8]

Claims

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The sale of products with halal certification or the establishment of halal shops and businesses is perceived by anti-halal conspiracy theorists as a precursor to the Islamization of their countries or as an Islamist effort to force another religion on consumers,[2][3][9] and some claim that fees paid by companies for halal certification fund Islamic terrorism, the implementation of Sharia law or cause consumers to subsidize another religious belief; makers and endorsers of such claims include politicians such as Pauline Hanson[13] and George Christensen[14] in Australia and Jörg Meuthen in Germany,[15][16] counter-jihad organizations such as Sharia Watch UK,[17] the Q Society of Australia[18] and Britain First,[2] and Indian Hindutva supporters and figures.[8][9][19] A fact-check by ABC News of Australia concluded that while the proceeds of halal certification do occasionally fund Islamic organizations, there is no evidence that any of those funds have ever flowed to terrorist groups. The report also consulted several food companies that are halal-certified, including Nestlé, and they disclosed that the yearly fees for halal certification are negligible and do not influence the final price of their products.[20] A Cadbury spokesperson told the Herald Sun that the fees did not affect pricing and were more than offset by access to broader markets.[21]

Others claim that halal slaughter is cruel and inhumane,[1] an accusation also made towards kosher slaughter and mostly based on the assumption that animals are not stunned prior to religious slaughters. The Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom asserts that 88% of halal-slaughtered animals in Britain are stunned first,[12] though there is debate among Islamic (as well as Jewish) scholars on what manners of stunning are more acceptable or whether stunning itself is humane at all.[22]

In India, claims made by right-wing Hindutva activists include that halal-certified goods contain meat extracts and are thus unlawful for Hindus to consume, that uttering the name of Allah during halal slaughter means that the meat is an offering to another deity, that halal-certified companies only employ Muslims, and that spitting on food is part of the halal process.[8][9][23] Indian fact-checking agencies have labeled these claims as "misleading," "ludicrous" and "certifiably false."[9][24]

Incidents

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The spread of conspiracy theories and rumors regarding halal and halal certification has led to boycotts and harassment campaigns against companies and businesses.[1] In November 2014, South Australian dairy company Fleurieu Milk and Yoghurt was forced to drop a $50,000 contract with airline Emirates due to public pressure, as the contract required the products to be halal-certified.[25] In January 2015, a Malaysian-owned café in Western Australia was subject to online harassment and calls for boycott after the owners made a Facebook post explaining what halal means in response to a negative review.[4][26]

Himalaya Drug Company has been targeted in social media for its halal certification in several occasions in 2021 and 2022, accused of using beef extracts in products and of having a pro-Muslim and anti-Hindu bias among executives and employees as a result.[27] An Alt News fact-check on the former claim concluded that Himalaya does not use animal-based gelatin in the accused products (tablets), but vegetarian hypromellose, and that, by comparison, 98% of Indian pharmaceutical companies make use of animal-based capsules.[28] Campaigns against state-owned companies such as Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation and Air India for offering halal-certified products have also been proposed in 2022.[23][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hirschman, Elizabeth C.; Touzani, Mourad (June 2016). "Contesting Religious Identity in the Marketplace: Consumption Ideology and the Boycott Halal Movement". Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture. 4 (1). doi:10.15640/jisc.v4n1a3 (inactive 1 November 2024). eISSN 2333-5912. ISSN 2333-5904.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  2. ^ a b c Hussein, Shakira (2015). "Not Eating the Muslim Other: Halal Certification, Scaremongering, and the Racialisation of Muslim Identity". International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy. 4 (3): 85–96. doi:10.5204/ijcjsd.v4i3.250. hdl:11343/55776. ISSN 2202-8005. S2CID 142996610.
  3. ^ a b Hussein, Shakira (15 April 2015). "Why 'Halal Tax' Conspiracy Theories are So Hard to Stomach". ABC Religion & Ethics. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b Emery, Ryan (21 January 2015). "Online anti-halal campaign targets WA cafe". SBS News. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b Ma, Wenlei (11 November 2014). "Halal conspiracy theorists bullying Australian businesses". News.com.au. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  6. ^ Sinclair, Corey (12 May 2015). "Facebook conspiracy theorists – halal, mind control and the New World Order". NT News. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Syfret, Wendy (24 November 2014). "Trolls Are Boycotting Australian Companies Because They Don't Understand What Halal Is". Vice. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Ganeshan, Balakrishna; John, Haritha (5 April 2022). "What exactly is halal certification for meat and non-meat products? Explained". The News Minute. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Fact-check: Himalaya Drug Co targeted for misleading claims on Halal certification". Deccan Herald. Alt News. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  10. ^ Ruiz-Bejarano, Barbara (October 2017). "Islamophobia as a Deterrent to Halal Global Trade". Islamophobia Studies Journal. 4 (1): 129–146. doi:10.13169/islastudj.4.1.0129. ISSN 2325-8381.
  11. ^ "Fact file: What is halal food?". ABC News. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  12. ^ a b Meikle, James (8 May 2014). "What exactly does the halal method of animal slaughter involve?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  13. ^ Zielinski, Caroline (5 April 2015). "Pauline Hanson links halal certification to terrorist organisations a day after nationwide, anti-Islam protests". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  14. ^ Powell, Rose (20 November 2014). "George Christensen uses Vegemite to suggest halal products are funding terrorism and sharia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  15. ^ Picheta, Rob; John, Tara (19 December 2018). "Toblerone's halal certification outrages the far right". CNN. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  16. ^ Meyer, Zlati (24 December 2018). "Mondelēz's Toblerone boycotted by European far-right because of halal certification". USA TODAY. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  17. ^ Aked, H.; Jones, M.; Miller, D. (2019). "Islamophobia in Europe: How governments are enabling the far-right 'counter-jihad' movement" (PDF). Public Interest Investigations: 24.
  18. ^ Johnston, Chris (23 December 2014). "Why halal certification is in turmoil". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  19. ^ Kuntamalla, Vidheesha; Kumar, Ashwine (23 April 2022). "'To support halal is to contribute to terrorism': Meet Ravi Ranjan Singh, crusader for 'jhatka' meat". Newslaundry. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Fact check: Does halal certification fund terrorism?". ABC News. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  21. ^ Masanauskas, John (18 July 2014). "Halal food outrage from anti-Islam critics". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  22. ^ Zraick, Karen (9 January 2019). "Is Stunning an Animal Before Slaughter More Humane? Some Religious Leaders Say No". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Seeking ban on halal certification, Hindutva groups target IRCTC and Air India". Scroll.in. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  24. ^ Varma, Aishwarya (16 December 2021). "Muslim Groups Didn't Say 'Halal Means Spitting on Food', Claim is Misleading". The Quint. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Call to resist anti-Islamic bullying after company drops halal certification". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  26. ^ "WA cafe's halal Facebook post prompts online backlash". ABC News. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Himalaya Group faces boycott on Twitter over Halal products". The Siasat Daily. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  28. ^ Mehta, Archit (20 July 2021). "Fact-Check: Does Himalaya's neem, tulasi, lasuna supplements contain bovine extract?". Alt News. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Right Wing Groups Now Target Multiple Brands Including IRCTC & Air India for Halal Certification". News18. PTI. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
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