Stop Targeting Jains in the Name of Veganism

Dhiraj Jain Dubai

Stop Preaching to the Smallest Problem: A Blunt Message to Those Targeting Jains in the Name of Veganism

For some strange reason, a new trend has started: people who call themselves defenders of animals are suddenly obsessed with converting the tiny Jain community to veganism. As if less than 0.1% of the world’s population, and less than 0.5% of the population of India is the grand culprit behind global animal suffering. As if Jains, who built their civilisation on ahimsa, need a lecture on compassion from people who discovered it last weekend.

Let’s be very clear: this obsession is misplaced, shallow, and frankly, lazy.

Jains Are Not the Problem — They Are Among the Least Harmful Eaters on the Planet

Jain food habits are already one of the most minimalistic, non-violent and nature-respectful cultures known to humanity.

Yes, many Jains consume milk and milk products. Yes, there is hinsa in dairy. No one is denying that.

But let’s compare honestly:

Jains do not eat meat, eggs, or root vegetables.

They avoid harming living beings in hundreds of small ways every single day.

Their diet and way of living cause far less harm than 99.5% of the population.

Their cultural foundation already pushes them towards less cruelty, less waste, less exploitation.

Yet somehow, this tiny community gets a spotlight as if they are the main villains of dairy atrocities.

Why?

Because they are easy to approach? Because they will listen politely? Because they won’t shout back?

That’s not activism. That’s comfort-zone preaching.

If You Truly Care for Animals, Go Where the Real Damage Happens

If animal rights advocates have the courage they boast of, they should walk out of their echo chambers and talk to:

The massive dairy-consuming majority,

The meat-heavy population that forms the real demand engine,

The industries that run on leather, silk, honey, gelatin, and animal-tested cosmetics.

That is where the real cruelty lives. Not inside a community that has spent centuries minimising harm.

Honestly, targeting Jains is like blaming bicycles for climate change while ignoring SUVs.

Jains Are Already Halfway Vegan — Without Anyone’s Workshops

This is the irony nobody mentions:

They already reject leather.

They avoid silk.

They avoid honey.

They avoid killing even the smallest insects.

They do not engage themselves in businesses where animals are used.

The only major non-vegan component is dairy — and even that is much lower in volume than the global average.

So instead of patting themselves on the back for convincing a Jain to switch from low-cruelty dairy to zero-cruelty dairy, activists should focus on converting the massive majority who consume dairy, meat, fish, eggs, leather, silk, honey, and pharmaceuticals all at once.

If You Want to Market Veganism, Learn Basic Strategy First

There are two kinds of marketing:

Niche Marketing
You target a small, already interested audience.
This is what happens when activists approach Jains: it feels safe, controlled, and predictable.

Mass Marketing (Which Veganism Actually Needs)
If veganism is truly meant to reduce global animal suffering, then the audience must be the masses.
Not the micro-minority already living a stricter lifestyle than most vegans.

Veganism is not a boutique product for a tiny religious niche.
It is a mass-impact movement. So go to the masses.

If Your Mission Is Genuine, Stop Playing Safe

Anyone can walk into a Jain event and preach veganism.
They’ll even get a respectful hearing — because Jains value dialogue.

But that doesn’t transform the world.

If someone is truly committed to reducing cruelty, they should:

Speak to hardcore dairy consumers.

Speak to people who eat meat three times a day.

Speak to leather-fashion followers.

Speak to silk-obsessed markets.

Speak to people addicted to cheap poultry and seafood.

Speak to those who treat animals as disposable commodities.

That’s where activism becomes real, difficult, and meaningful.

A Message to Activists: Courage Means Going to the Main Battlefield

If you want change, stop circling around the softest target.

Go where resistance exists.

Go where the consumption is highest.

Go where your message can save thousands of animals, not two.

Preaching veganism to Jains is like giving swimming lessons to fish — pointless, redundant, and self-congratulatory.

If you truly care for animals, show it through your choice of battlefield.