#BoycottMcDonalds: After Zomato, McDonalds India burns its fingers on Twitter over halal meat

#BoycottMcDonalds has been trending ever since the official Twitter handle of the food chain confirmed that it uses only halal meat.

McDonalds India had posted some tweets in response to a query from a fellow user of the social media platform, who had enquired about the kind of meat they serve. The Twitter user who goes by the name @hibailyas89 had asked if their outlets in India are halal certified.

However, when the fast-food joint replied in the positive, saying the meat they serve is always halal and of the highest quality, it ruffled the wrong feathers of several Indian netizens and #BoycottMcDonalds started trending.
The debate over halal and jhatka meat being served at various restaurants across India is not new. The different names come from the difference in the ways the animals are slaughtered for meat. Jhatka is the preferred method for Hindus, given it is “less cruel”, while Muslims always keep an out for halal meat, which they consider to be healthier.

Twitter users started calling out McDonald's for serving halal meat in a Muslim minority country like India. However, some people also came out in support of the food joint, saying it respects religious sentiments and hence never sold pork or beef in India. Here are some of the reactions.