So, if it wasn't enough to be teased by co-workers endlessly about what we Muslims can and can not eat, now we discover that that list is growing. Say Kosher and everyone understands and is supportive, but say Halal and you get confused looks and ignorant statements. I don't mind the ignorance as much as the deck being stacked against us. It becomes more and more apparent that this world is oblivious to our concerns.
Perhaps that is the way Allah created it, we are constantly tested. Certainly the concern of a few food products not being Halal is trivial compared to the wars being waged and the daily oppression millions face, but it is a concern none-the-less, especially when you have children.
The reason for this topic is because I keep getting emails about a new popular food that is now found to be Haram. I've heard of McDonald's fries (beef flavoring), then Wrigley's gum (animal based gelatin) , then Altoids (pork based flavor crystals), then Doritos and other chips (pork based seasoning) and even recently about Burger King and their practise of frying Fish in the same fryer as pork and other meats. The list goes on and on. The crazy part is that you won't find this information from reading the ingredients and that is the part the gets me mad the most. Burger King says they fry in vegetable oil, but said nothing about using the same fryer as pork and other meats. McDonald's says they fry in vegetable oil but didn't say the fries are seasoned with beef. I'm slightly concerned about not being able to eat most of the chips made by Frito-Lay anymore, but I'll live.
The products that I'm most concern with are products like Advil, Tylenol and Motrin, they use a pork based coating of all things. Now that's the three most popular pain killers. (only Advil relieves my headache) Where will Muslims turn in that department? Anyone have alternatives?
I won't list every product I've found, there are sites that do this. I'm just frustrated. I expect companies to use whatever product makes their food taste addictive and cost less. I can't blame them for doing so, but can blame them if they hide these products as McDonald's did for years. Right now I'm not sure if this is worth an uproar, I'll just have to be more careful and less trusting (with corporations).
Anyone want to recommend sites that track this issue?
What about alternative products?
Am I wrong about any of these?
7 comments:
this whole new pork/animalfat scandal is a blessing in disguise for muslims (and for jews and hindus and vegans and ..) because all this packaged/fast food crap is not good for you anyway, even if it had no animal components. yay! no moree dortitos or fasfoosies!
Ok, I cannot but reply here. My guess is that the Muslim population in the USA is a minimal concern for large companies such as McDonalds, Burger King, etc... the list goes on.
Their target customers are not Muslims per se. They will do whatever is more beneficial to them. Nothing forces them to address your concerns, unless you are a major customer.
Think of it this way. A small deli around the corner sells sandwiches that are not halal. The one next to it does. Which one would you go to? The halal one ofcourse. Same with a big corporation.
I myself am not concerned about halal or kosher since it does not concern me. I a picky though. I will not eat at a McDonlads or any other fast food place for different reasons.
I cannot change your thinking, but I think that if God is picking on us about what we eat in this day and age, he's just going overboard. There are bigger fish to fry!
the lebanese: I never implied that God was picking on us, or that I can blame the corps for doing what they do. I'm just frustrated to find these things in surprising places like medicine. Also I am concerned that BK was touting Fish for lent when its fried with meat products. Is that ok for people who practise lent? I don't know the details, but seems odd.
IBJ: you're right more reason to avoid this unhealthy lifestyle. there are too many chemically infused products and too many packaged unknowns. I wish my garden was larger. Does rice grow in the MidWest?
I can remember attending a conference a few years back and someone, spotting the kippah on my head, walked up and out of the blue made it a point to tell me that he worked in the meat-packing industry for McDonalds, and whenever the hamburger tested too lean, they would add pork fat to it! He seemed rather deflated when I simply shrugged and told him I only buy kosher meat and never go to McDonalds.
The situation used to be a lot worse. For example, tinned cans for food products in the U.S. used to be heat-quenched in animal fats - the procedure was detailed in my steels textbook, written in the 1970s. Such procedures are being - or have been - modified.
I suppose you can try buying kosher or halal. Sometimes kashrut and halal certifiers even work together. Note that by no means are all kashrut certification agencies alike. This sometimes leads to some odd results, such as cheese carrying the seal of a New York yeshiva rabbi whose certifications are not universally accepted by the Orthodox yet also bearing a halal seal that I suppose is accepted by most muslims.
I sympathize about the Doritos. I recommend trying Utz Nachos, certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.
Soloman, was that guy expecting you to get riled and insulted?
anyway, there is a lot that people can do, but I'm not sure I would really want to. It is good to avoid these things and make our own. And if we just eat natural foods, that's better.
But I can't get past the point that there are still a large number of people who disrespect a person's harmless religious beliefs.
I dont know what to do anymore.Everything seems to have pork in it these days.I even heard that certain types of toothpastes have some kind of odd ingredient in them.
Those chips look so tempting....
Sh. Yasir Qadhi on the Doritos: A comprehensive examination:
http://muslimmatters.org/2007/07/09/of-mice-and-men-the-cheese-factor/
Punchline: They are HALAL inshallah.
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