Arabeyes: Halal Pork?

Islam, like Judaism, bans its adherents from consuming pork. But what happens when rumours about ‘Halal’ or religiously sanctioned pork appear in the market? Here's what some bloggers and participants in an online forum from Bahrain have to say.

Halal Pork Photo from: SubZero Blue

Lebanese blogger Mark, who lives in Kuwait, comments on the product with a one-liner:

Yeah, I don’t think so.

The post has a good 20 comments on it and there are also more comments on an online forum which Mark operates here. One of the readers writes:

Strong oxymoron.

After hearing about the product via Mark's blog, Subzero Blue, from Tunisia, wonders what other food is labelled as Halal.

“Very interesting. Some Australians have managed to find a way to make pork halal for Muslims.
Really great job; given that pork is one of the ultimate non-halal items on earth.
Kind of makes you wonder how halal the other labeled stuff is…” he writes.

The issue was also brought up on Bahrain Online, an Arabic-language forum, from Bahrain.

متوفر في الاسواق
لحم خنزير حلال
مذبوح بالشريعة الاسلامية !!!
“Available in the markets. Halal pork and slaughtered according to Islamic Shariah (law),” said the announcement which tagged the picture above.

Readers were torn between those who believed the product was really available in the local markets and those who quickly came up with a ‘logical’ explanation.

Free Writer falls in the latter group and writes:

يبين ان كلمة حلال موجودة على ملصق … يعني ممكن اذا عندي هالملصق ألصقه و اصور …
او انها مركبة بدليل أن كلمة حلال مغطية على الحجي المكتوب بالإنجليزي
في الحالتين اله ناشر الصورة فاضي
It is obvious that the word Halal is on a sticker. This means that someone may have had this sticker and stuck it on the product and took a picture or it could have been fabricated. This is obvious because the word Halal is covering what is written in English. Whatever the case, the person who published this picture has nothing better to do.

Araby agrees with Free Writer and adds:

أعتقد انه مُجرد ملصق تم وضعه على المُنتَج …
و لا داعي لتكبير المسألة …
العملية مفبركة … و لا تدخل العقل أنه مجلس “إسلامي” يقوم بذلك …
خصوصاً انه أكل لحم الخنزير من الكبائر و ليس بأمر عادي ..
I believe it is just a sticker which was stuck on the product and there is no reason to exaggerate the issue. It is fabricated as it is illogical for an Islamic council to sanction pork since its consumption falls among the bigger sins and isn't something acceptable.

In comparison, another reader laments:

يتم تصدير هذه اللحوم الى بعض دول الخليج
ومن ضمنها البحرين
لا رقابة ولاهم يحزنون
الخمور واللحوم المحرمة تباع علناً في البحرين
Such products are exported to some countries in the Arabian Gulf, including Bahrain. There is no monitoring. Alcohol and banned meats are also being sold openly in Bahrain.

21 comments

  • Mondo

    This incident happened in Singapore. When the pork was imported from Australia, there was no Halal sticker on it. This was the result of a prank by someone. The supermarket giant has since apologised via mass media and are in investigation for the identity of the prankster.

    I hope this matter won’t get blown out of proportion than it already is and it is certainly not the fault of the Australian exporter.

  • Even more terrifying than the sticker is that picture on the product itself – a pig on top of a plane? And why are pig/pork products being air flown anyway? Are people that desperate for Australian pork? Pigs getting a better seat on the plane than me? Ridiculous.

  • I believe the pork is airflown for freshness. And I dont think they take up ‘better seats’ than a person in a plane….. obviously they are cargo.

    The matter of the ‘halal pork’ is blown out of proportion I beleive

  • pork is haram, in the past, now and always. it’s crazy, i can’t believe it.

  • It is a hoax.

    The company that imports the meat from Australia to Singapore reported it to police. The Islamic Council of Singapore did an investigation and did not find any with the Halal sticker.

    Details here: Halal pork: real or hoax.

  • […] other news, halal pork is (semi) real. Get yours […]

  • Well,
    There is no doubt whether pork is halal or haram. Pork is pork which is strictly prohibited in Islam. Even I have seen people eating chicken and Beef from Macdonald in UK and they believe it’s halal. Infact it’s not.Any Burger King,Macdonald and KFC is not halal in UK.

  • Abdul

    ” He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful.” The Holy Quran 2:173

    ” Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” The Holy Quran 5:3

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