Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan faced mixed reactions on social media after denying that he ate beef at a dinner hosted by Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan in Dubai.
Rashid hosted Irfan and his brother Yusuf Pathan at his residence, where they enjoyed traditional Afghan food, including Kabuli pulao and mantu.
Irfan shared a reel from the gathering on social media, praising Rashid and his wife for their hospitality and the food they served.
“What hosts @rashid.khan19 & layloma Bhabi are! We had the most incredible Afghan feast. Every dish had its own unique flavor, but what made it even more special was the love and warmth that went into everything. Mere bhai Rashid still about the food from last night,” he wrote in the caption.
The discussion took a different turn when an X user claimed that the three had eaten beef together. Irfan responded with a brief “Nope”, denying the claim.
The exchange sparked a debate, with some users questioning the denial and others using the occasion to comment on how beef consumption by Muslims is weaponised in India.
Several users suggested that Irfan had travelled to Dubai to enjoy food that he could not easily eat in India. One user wrote, “You had to go to Dubai to eat Beef,” while another commented, “How unfortunate that you have to leave India to eat Beef.”
Others claimed that the dish served at the gathering contained beef. One user wrote, “Hello Indians He is eating Beef kabuli Pulao”, while another said, “No kabuli pulao is made without beef, Indians gonna lynch you.”
Some users also questioned the meat used in the dish, with one arguing that the size of a bone visible in the food indicated that it came from a cow rather than a lamb.
The reactions also included criticism of the brothers, with one user writing, “Shameless brothers How you people are eating yar Chi thu.” Another commented, “So you’re eating beef? Kabuli Pulao is a beef dish”.
Other users mocked the controversy, with one writing, “Beef party…no cow was hurt in this feast”. Another said, “Finally you managed to eat beef without getting crucified by tukray tukray #Hindutva gang.”
Some posts took aim at the restrictions and social tensions surrounding beef consumption in India, while others criticised the players for sharing the private gathering online.
Some comments pointed out how quickly Irfan denied that he ate beef. Many Muslims have been lynched in India by right-wing Hindutva followers over the assumption that they were consuming beef. One person asked, “Is beef haram or what? Come on, just admit you’ve eaten it.”
Another person joked, “Patriotic indian muslim from the so called secular country can’t even admit he ate beef in another pre dominantly muslim country bcz he’s afraid of the crowd at home😆. Sad.”
One post noted, “Still stuffing his face 😂😂 what’s the point of a life like this @IrfanPathan even has to eat his food on the sly 😭”
Yet another one said, “Is ki umer guzar jhy ghi apny apko indian sabit karnay ma. (He will spend his entire life trying to prove he is Indian.)”
