halAl

Geopolitical push

  • A cartel of Islamic countries (led by pAkistAn and malaysia) insist on all imports (even non-meat food and non-food products like cement) having a halAl certificate.
  • GoI FSSAI Green dot certifying absence of meat not respected by them - they insist on halAl certificate.

Consequence

  • “The most intolerant minority wins” rule of NN Taleb applies.
  • halAl slaughter requires muslim butcher. So, companies are forced to hire muslims and exclude non-muslims.
    • For efficiency reasons, in the absence of sufficient pressure from non-muslims, it does not make sense for companies to hire two sets of workers for the same product.
  • In the absence of strong non-muslim reaction, non-halAl meat is then not even available to customers who prefer that. For example, airlines prefer to stock and provide only halAl meat (caterer SkyChef supplies halAl meat only).
      • Halal meat is cheaper, and most customers never bother complaining. Theoretically, halAl should be more expensive (peculiar requirement of a minority community). Amazing how the tables are turned due to the “intolerant minority” principle.
  • To access 0.25x of the market, non-muslim companies are forced to go for halAl certificate - even when it makes no sense to do so (eg. non-meat products, Ayurvedic medicine). So, they are forced to pay local muslims for nothing.

Reaction

  • Insistence of reciprocity
    • If muslims refuse to eat meat butchered by Hindus (“won’t be halAl”), why should Hindus eat meat butchered by Muslims? (Many non-muslims - including hindus and sikhs since many hundred years - insist on jhaTka meat.)
    • If muslims insist on part of the profits going to other muslims for useless certification (even on non-meat and non-food items) - should hindus not reciprocate in kind?
    • If GoI FSSAI Green dot certifying absence of meat is not respected by Islamic countries, why should non-muslim countries respect food certification of Islamic countries?
  • Government protection of non-muslim work-force and consumer choice
    • Insist that stores, trains and airlines carry jhaTka meat.

Interesting but over-long video on the halAl tax - https://twitter.com/CNNnews18/status/1509859167363899393