Rush Hour: Adityanath claims halal goods funding ‘love jihad’, Delhi AQI remains ‘very poor’ & more

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has claimed that profits made through the sale of halal-certified products were being used to fund terrorism, “love jihad” and religious conversion in India. He defended his government’s November 2023 decision to ban the sale, production, storage and distribution of halal-certified food items, declaring that “no government agency has given this recognition to products”.

Love jihad is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men trick Hindu women into romantic relationships with the aim of converting them to Islam. While several countries have legal mechanisms to certify halal food, in India, private organisations and religious groups provide the certification.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader claimed that transactions worth Rs 25,000 crore related to halal-certified products were being conducted in India.

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How Uttar Pradesh’s halal ban has plunged the processed food industry into chaos

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