HEALTH & DIETS

‘Halal’ in Arabic means ‘permissible’, although the English meaning and context which has been adopted refers to the type of food and dietary laws given by the Islamic religion. The opposite of ‘Halal’ is ‘Haraam’, again, the English meaning and context means that this is forbidden food which Muslim’s are not allowed to eat. But in Arabic, Haraam means ‘none-permissable’.

The following foods are deemed Haraam and therefore are forbidden to eat:

• Pork or any other pig based product or the welfare of Halal food in the area of pig based products.
• Blood or any by-product of blood.
• Animals slaughtered in the name of anyone else but God.
• Carrion – The carcass of a dead animal.
• Intoxicants – Such as alcohol, for example.

To declare food as ‘Halal’ or permissible, the animal or poultry has to be slaughtered in a ritual known as ‘Zibah’. The Qur’an gives the following rules on the ritual and the animal’s state of welfare before allowing the food to be declared as Halal.

• The animal must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter.
• The slaughter must be completed with the least amount of pain possible.
• A Muslim must perform the slaughter and recite ‘tasmiya’ or ‘shahada’ which fulfils the requirements of dedication.
• All the blood must be drained from the body as blood is declared as Haraam.
• Swine flesh is forbidden and must not come in contact with Halal products.
• The animal must not be slaughtered by asphyxiation, violent blow or by a headlong fall.

The following foods are known as Halal and therefore can be eaten by Muslims:

• Milk – from cows, sheep, camels or goats.
• Honey.
• Fish.
• Plants which are not intoxicant.
• Fresh or naturally frozen vegetables.
• Fresh or dried fruits.
• Peanuts, cashew nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, etc.
• Grains such as wheat, rice, rye, barley, oat, etc.

For further information on Halal, you can visit: www.halalfoodauthority.co.uk