- Baba Ramdev labelled Rooh Afza as “Sharbat Jihad,” stating that its profits fund Islamic institutions and Hindus should therefore not drink the beverage.
- The Delhi High Court condemned Ramdev’s remarks as “indefensible,” highlighting concerns over its impact on India’s diverse society.
Baba Ramdev, India’s prominent yoga guru and founder of Patanjali Ayurved, has once again outdone himself by introducing the term “Sharbat Jihad” in a recent video. Many have argued that his anti-Muslim rhetoric is used to further his own business interests.
The video, shared earlier this month on Patanjali’s official Facebook page, features Ramdev urging Hindus to boycott a competing beverage, implicitly referring to the popular syrup Rooh Afza produced by Hamdard. He says that the rival brand channels its profits into mosques and Islamic educational institutions.
“If you drink that sharbat, there will be masjids and madrasas made. But if you drink Patanjali’s gulab sharbat, then gurukuls, Acharyakulam Patanjali University, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board will be built,” Ramdev claims in the viral clip, which has garnered over 37 million views.
By coining “Sharbat Jihad,” Ramdev aligns his narrative with other politically and Islamophobic charged terms like “Love Jihad” and “Vote Jihad.”
In response to the controversy, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Patanjali, prompting Ramdev to agree to remove the contentious video within 24 hours.
Rooh Afza, a century-old beverage created by Indian Muslim Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed in 1906, is a blend of herbs, fruits, flowers, and Rose water, typically mixed with cold water or milk. It holds cultural significance for many in South Asia. Indian and Pakistani Muslims are known to drink the beverage with their Iftar meal during Ramadan.
Cultural commentator Nadeem Khan expressed concern, stating, “This isn’t just about sharbat. It’s about reducing every aspect of public life—what you eat, who you marry, who you vote for—into a religious binary. That’s not a recipe for national unity. That’s a formula for social fragmentation.”
Ramdev’s bigoted remarks have also led to legal action. The Delhi High Court recently took note of Ramdev’s “Sharbat Jihad” remark, issuing a notice in a plea by Hamdard Laboratories, which argued that such communal references damaged the brand’s secular image and business.
Ramdev’s remarks are a part of a recurring pattern where anti-Muslimness is increasingly woven into consumer choices and economic participation— the Hindutva’s efforts to eradicate Muslim owned businesses in India.
The use of terminology like ‘Sharbat Jihad’ in advertising raises questions about the ethical boundaries of product promotion in India’s deeply diverse society. Critics have condemned the remark as inflammatory and irresponsible, pointing out the potential for such rhetoric to incite hatred against Muslims.
“His business is slowing down, that’s why he has launched a new product,” Aakash Khan, one user commented beneath the video. Another wrote, “Which direction is the country moving in? Lala ji comes up with Sharbat Jihaad now.”
Others were more scathing: “Fake, uneducated baba will make you fool. Be careful. His products have no food standards. Sell your products on quality standards, not on the basis of religion,” a user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In 2020, Patanjali received a halal certification from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind to export products to Gulf countries, an essential step for accessing the multi-billion-dollar Middle Eastern market. This revelation has fueled accusations of hypocrisy.
