When Muslim customers went to purchase halal meat from a local supermarket, they were offended when they noticed stickers attached to the products that weren’t there before.
Due to their beliefs, Muslims consume halal meat that has been prepared in accordance with their religious guidelines. Catering to their strict dietary requirements, supermarkets across the globe are now offering halal options to their Islamic customers, which are packaged with specially marked seals indicating that the products fall in line with their doctrinal principles.
Since Sainsbury’s supermarket in Machester, England, began offering halal options for their Muslim patrons, religious consumers have flocked to the grocer to purchase the meats that guarantee they will be following their dietary restrictions. So, when they went to place the products in their shopping carts, they were perplexed and subsequently offended to find a new kind of sticker on their halal meats.
Instead of seeing the halal stamp of approval, Muslim customers were greeted by round, red stickers which read “BEWARE! Halal is barbaric and funds terrorism #BanHalal” on their Islamically approved food products.
The stickers, which lined the deli shelves of a Sainsbury’s in Salford, caused an uproar in the community, stirring up rumors that they were part of a racially motivated hate crime targeting Muslims. Shortly after, police became involved, investigating the “stickering” and determining that the adhesives were created and placed by 29-year-old resident and self-described “animal lover” Liam Gary Edwards, according to Express.