Fact Check: Viral message claiming Muslims admitted in the court that process of ‘halal’ involved spitting on the food is FALSE

A text message claiming that during a court hearing in Tamil Nadu, Muslim groups admitted that the process of ‘halal’ was complete only if it was spat on, is being widely shared on WhatsApp.

The text claims that Muslims follow this practice for religious reasons and further advocates against 'ordering food from any Muslim-owned hotel'.

A portion of the text reads: "In a court case in Tamil Nadu, Muslims held that the meaning of Halal is not complete until the cook does not spit in it. Therefore food prepared by Muslims is not complete without spitting. In a court case, they admitted that spitting is what made Halal complete, throughout the Nation including TN [sic]."

The case referred to in the viral message took place in 2021. However, the case came up for hearing in the Kerala High Court and not the Tamil Nadu court.

A plea was filed by SJR Kumar, general convener of the Sabarimala Action Committee, who alleged that Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which manages the Sabarimala temple, had been using spoiled halal-certified jaggery to prepare Naivedyam and Prasadam at Sabarimala. (Read more here)

Travancore Devaswom Board is an autonomous body formed under the Hindu Religious Institutions Act XV of 1950. The board administers 1,248 temples in Kerala which also includes the Sabarimala Temple.

This petitioner states the “use of Halal-certified food materials, which is specifically prepared as per the religious beliefs of another community, is not a Satwik/pure material to be offered to Lord Ayyappa.”

However, as per an article in The News Minute, the High Court bench told the petitioner that “The concept of halal only says that certain things are prohibited. All other things are ‘halal’. This certification only says that those prohibited materials are not included in a particular product.”

To clarify, Halal is Arabic for permissible. Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law. With reference to food, it is the dietary standard as prescribed in the Quran. Halal food is any food deemed permissible under Islamic law, as defined in the Quran.

It is noteworthy to mention that over the course of proceedings of the case, no Muslim organization or Muslim individual was referred to, contrary to the claim of Muslims admitting that the process of ‘halal’ was complete only if it was spat on.

Hence, it is clear that the Muslim community did not admit in the court that spitting on food is part of halal.