Kerala High Court has sought explanation from the state Food safety department Commissioner in the recent controversy regarding the use of Halal-certified Jaggery in Sabarimala temple. Jaggery is used for the preparation of Aravana Payasam in Sabarimala temple. SJR Kumar had filed a case about the usage of Halal certified Jaggery in the Hindu holy shrine. He has argued that the Jaggery which is prepared as per the belief of another religion cannot be used in Hindu temple.
Halal Spitting, Halal food, Halal Jaggery in Sabarimala… Massive controversies erupt in Kerala
Multiple videos of Muslim clerics and Muslim workers spitting in food at various places are taking rounds on social media. Halal signboards are visible throughout Kerala, with the maximum numbers of restaurants being owned and operated by Muslims. Recent reports suggest that thousands of restaurants serving Arabic dishes were started in Kerala while a lot of traditional/vegetarian restaurants were shut. But now very serious questions are being raised about the standard of food being served. Many are now avoiding restaurants with Halal signboards fearing of their food items being contaminated with spit. Another ‘halal’ controversy is from Sabarimala where Jaggery packets had Halal signs on them.
A petition has also been filed before the Kerala High Court by SJR Kumar against Travancore Dewaswam Board, pointing that spoiled halal-certified jaggery was being used to prepare "Nivedyam" and "Prasadam at the sacred Sabarimala Temple.
The Petitioner also argued that using halal-certified jaggery that is prepared as per the religious practices of another religion at the temple and using it in the offering to the deity amounts to violation of religious customs and rituals of the temple.
The petition also points at the recent controversy regarding the practice of spitting on food materials to make it "halal" and points to speeches made by Muslim religious leaders that saliva is a necessary ingredient for certifying food materials as "halal".
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