On Tuesday (29th September), the Kerala High Court directed the Sabarimala temple administration, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), to exercise more care and caution before using halal-certified materials for offering to the deity.
While hearing a petition filed by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi (SKS) in November 2021, the court noted that the Aravana and Unniyappam (made from rice and jaggery) offered to Lord Ayyappa must adhere not just to the prescribed quality standards but also to the religious customs of the Hindu temple.
It must be mentioned that SKS general convenor SJR Kumar had moved the court after reports surfaced about the use of ‘halal-certified‘ jaggery for prasadam in violation of customs and rituals of the Hindu community. He pointed out that the jaggery was produced in accordance with religious practices of Islam and that its use at the Sabarimala temple amounts to sacrilege.
The Kerala High Court ruled, “Ideally, the Travancore Devaswom Board ought to have exercised greater care to ensure that the quantity of jaggery supplied by the manufacturer did not bear symbols, markings or declarations that could give rise to an apprehension of conflict with the religious customs and practices followed at the Temple.”
“However, having regard to the analysis reports (of the Food Safety Laboratory) placed before us, we find that the quality of the jaggery supplied was satisfactory and that the testing did not reveal the presence of any substance or element which would render it unsuitable for use in the preparation of prasadam,” it added.
The court concluded, “We are of the view that the Writ Petition can be disposed of by directing the Travancore Devaswom Board to exercise due care and caution in future and to incorporate appropriate and necessary conditions in the e-tender documents so as to ensure that the materials procured for the preparation of nivedyam and prasadam are in conformity with the prescribed quality standards as well as the religious customs and requirements applicable to the Temple.”
What is Halal
Islam classifies dietary products as ‘halal (permissible)’ and ‘haram (prohibited)’ for Muslims based on the Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (in Hadiths). As such, what counts as Halal in Islam does not apply to practitioners of other Faiths.
Despite this, Halal products enjoy a disproportionate share in the Indian food industry. This is particularly due to a lack of awareness among non-Muslims and the unavailability of alternative food options.
The halal industry is growing at an alarming rate in India and across the globe. With over 1.8 billion people around the world professing allegiance to Islam, the halal food market currently constitutes 16% of the global food industry. It is expected to grow to 20% of the global trade in food production in the near future.
According to scholars, Muslims are expected to adhere to Islamic dietary restrictions at all times. They must avoid the consumption of:
- pigs
- animals slaughtered without the name of Allah
- animals with long pointed teeth or tusks
- insects
- primates, reptiles (except spiny-tailed lizards) and amphibians
- donkeys, mules (horses are not forbidden) and Lycaonpictus (African wild dog)
- aquatic animals that are harmful to human health
- blood (from any animal)
