Kerala woman thrashed by Islamists for opening a Non-Halal restaurant
Thushara was receiving threats from Islamists for opening the second branch of her non-halal restaurant, just like she did when her first branch opened, for the past one week. The Islamists were warning her against placing a non-Halal board in front of her restaurant.
In yet another incident that shows the rising Islamic fundamentalism in Kerala, No Halal restaurant Owner Thushara was attacked by the Jihadis. Thushara had started her restaurant in Palarivattom in Ernakulam district where only non-halal meat was prepared. From day one of her starting the business, she received death threats from the Islamists. Halal is an Islamic system of monopolising the meat industry.
The news of the attack was given by Thushara herself through a live video on Facebook. After the success of her restaurant, she was all set to inaugurate her second restaurant in Kakkadu. Islamists had asked her not to display the no Halal board in front of her restaurant which she rejected. They also asked her not to sell pork meat.
Thushara has made it clear that she was attacked due to the no Halal issue. She said that the ‘Halal’ concept is against Hindus and Sikhs; hence she came up with the idea of opening no-Halal restaurants.
According to a local news report, the lady who was in the process of opening her restaurant’s second branch today was assaulted near the eatery in Tech Park.
The report suggests that Thushara was receiving threats from Islamists for opening the second branch of her non-halal restaurant, just like she did when her first branch opened, for the past one week. The Islamists were warning her against placing a non-Halal board in front of her restaurant.
Smt Tushara also claimed in a Facebook live that the incident was motivated by her restaurant’s decision to serve non-halal food and to place a poster about the same outside her establishment.
Condemning the attack, K Surendran, the state president of BJP Kerala Tweeted:
The state of Kerala has been marred by a controversy over halal meat. In January this year, a bakery in Kerala, called ‘Mody’, was allegedly forced to remove the ‘Halal’ sticker notifying the availability of Halal food following opposition by Hindu Aikya Vedi activists. As per reports, the matter began after the organisation’s Parakkadavu unit president Arun Aravind and a few others visited the bakery for food and insisted on non-halal food. However, they were informed that only halal food was served.
The notice went viral on social media following which the police stepped in and arrested Aravind and three others. A case has been registered against the four and they were later released on bail.
Ahead of Christmas last year, Christians in Kerala called for a boycott of halal meat. Kochi based Christian group Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) urged Christians not to buy Halal food anymore. Hindu groups also extended their support for the call to boycott stating that they are forced to sell Halal meat in the state.
