Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Crying about Halaal: Indian Muslims' indifference towards the issue

Some guys went to a particular food joint in an old city locality and came back crying--we didn't know they could serve us Jhatka chicken?

Now what you can say about that! The fools went and eat without asking and imagining that all across India every one would serve halaal.

In Delhi Muslims are over 12% but no shop or hotel has put up the halaal/jhatka on the menu or food items while the 1% Jains have managed to get Jain Pizza [without onions[ and all non-veg items clearly marked. Why?

I am not prepared to believe that despite their economic backwardness the lakhs of Muslim consumers can't affect the business.

They can surely do. But they neither ask the hotel owner about the issue jhatka/halaal or register their protest if he sells jhatka. The guys did not have the nerve to object it to the hotel owner in an area and tell him that he should display it.

We are just not articulate enough, least aware of consumers' rights and even careless about the jhatka/halaal issue because just when you see the chicken 'aapkem munh mein paani aa jata hai'...and you hope...chicken halal hi hoga.

But they did not dare do that. If you are such a fool why don't you quit eating chicken outside altogether because no one is sure about the small chicken whose neck can be twisted easily anywhere without the need of any butcher.

Interestingly, once in a big hotel I saw a youth wearing the skullcap and making kebabs. I asked the Muslim guy if it was halal. He said he was not aware of that. I asked him why the hell was he wearing the 'topi' that would have confused many and he just grinned sheepishly.

Frankly I damn care. If you are really a glutton and want to eat jhatka, go and do that but this 'beech mein latakne wali baat' I hate it. But what angers me is that guys pretend to be too particular about Islam but at the same time are not interested in asking if the Sardarji's hotel sells halal.