India textbook says meat-eaters lie, cheat and commit sex crimes
A new study says that men link meat-eating with their masculinity, shunning vegetables.
In India, a health textbook aimed at 11 and 12 year-olds, claims meat-eaters "easily cheat, tell lies, forget promises and commit sex crimes," the BBC reported.
The controversial "New Healthway" textbook, released by one of the country's leading publishers, has drawn criticism from academics.
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"This is poisonous for children," Janaki Rajan, an educator at Jamia Millia University, told the BBC. "The government has the power to take action, but they are washing their hands of it."
The book praises vegetarians and in addition to calling meat-eaters dishonest, it says Eskimos "lazy" and "sluggish" because of their meat consumption.
Agence France Presse wrote the textbook also included some controversial marriage advice: "To get married without a bad name is a dream of every young girl."
Although India has a long history of vegetarianism and "a religious taboo over beef-eating," Indians are eating more meat products than ever before, according to AFP.