Pakistan: In the 21st century, religiously-mandated Halal certification has increasingly been used as a tool of economic control and social exclusion, favoring Islamist businesses while marginalizing Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and other faith communities. In this context, “Halal” not only refers to food, but also medicine, banking services, cosmetics, and other products, often requiring that preparation and animals be handled and slaughtered only by Muslims. According to Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of LEAD Ministries, this system pressures non-Islamist businesses to comply or face economic and social disadvantages, undermining equality, fair competition, and social cohesion globally.

Gill warns that this practice fuels discrimination and religious hatred. Real-world examples include Ontario, Canada, where KFC’s decision to serve exclusively halal-certified chicken in many locations drew petitions from Hindu and Sikh communities, arguing that the policy excluded people with other dietary laws.

In India, the Uttar Pradesh government’s 2023 ban on the manufacture, sale, storage, and distribution of halal‑certified products has been challenged in the Supreme Court of India, which is examining arguments about the constitutional and economic implications of the ban, including claims that halal certification increases consumer costs and creates parallel regulatory systems.

In Pakistan, where Muslims are the majority, practices such as refusing to eat food prepared in Christian homes and declaring meat slaughtered by Christians as non‑Halal contribute to social exclusion, prejudice, and discrimination, including employment bias against Christians and other minorities.

These practices violate internationally recognized human rights protections. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) guarantees that everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind, including religion (Article 2), and ensures the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to manifest one’s beliefs (Article 18), as well as the right to work, free choice of employment, and favorable working conditions without discrimination (Article 23). Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) affirms that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to adopt a religion or belief of choice and to manifest it (Article 18), and guarantees that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection without discrimination on grounds including religion (Article 26). In a true democracy, one law must apply equally to all citizens and residents, regardless of faith, ensuring fairness, equality, and the protection of human rights.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill urges authorities, policymakers, and civil society leaders to act decisively. He stresses that all nations, particularly those with diverse religious populations, should ban or halt mandatory Halal certification policies that enforce exclusion and propagate religious hatred, which, as it is one factor, further fuels religion-based hatred and extremism, potentially escalating to violence against Christians, Jews, Hindus, and other faith communities. Economic and social life—including food, medicine, banking, and commerce—must remain free from coercion, sectarian and faith based control, and discrimination to safeguard equality, pluralism, and human rights worldwide.