Parents angered as every pupil is given halal school meals

Weird. As a person not residing in the UK I find the whole situation weird. Seems you can't do anything right there anymore. Doomed if you take into consideration all religions/ethnicities , doomed if you don't.

In 2001, a food scandal raged throughout Indonesia. The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI; Jakarta, Indonesia) accused a Japanese company of using pork products in the production of the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG), and demanded that the Indonesian government take appropriate action. It was a serious accusation: if true, the company would have violated halal rules, which forbid Muslims from eating—among other things—any pork or pork-derived products. As a consequence of the scandal, several employees of the company were arrested and a public apology was issued.

It is most likely that the flavour enhancer did not contain any pork products; instead, the company conceded to having replaced a beef derivative with the pork derivative bactosoytone in the production process, for economic reasons. Bactosoytone was used as a medium to cultivate bacteria that produce the enzymes necessary to make MSG. As the products of the company had previously been certified as halal by the MUI, the scandal seemed to undermine or question the legitimacy of these religious scholars in the eyes of millions of Muslim consumers.

…even multinational companies can come into conflict with the rising number of Muslim consumers and organizations if they overlook or disregard religiously inspired customs

The scandal also made it clear that even multinational companies can come into conflict with the rising number of Muslim consumers and organizations if they overlook or disregard religiously inspired customs. Indeed, the Indonesian scandal triggered similar enquiries at other companies worldwide. Novozymes (Bagsvaerd, Denmark)—a company that specializes in producing enzymes for a wide range of applications, including scientific research and food processing—was one of these. Customers of Novozymes became more aware of the validity of halal certifications, and the company eventually chose to have its products certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA; Chicago, IL, USA). Around that time, many other food and pharmaceutical companies also decided to have their products certified as halal by various Muslim organizations. These cases illustrate how modern halal rules proliferate at the interface between religion, science and global markets.

This is certainly not the first time that religious thoughts and practices have influenced science either directly or indirectly. The history of science contains many instances in which scientific knowledge challenged long-held beliefs—ranging from the insight by Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) that the Earth revolves around the Sun, to the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and current debates about using human embryonic stem cells for biomedical research. However, the requirements of halal do not challenge scientific knowledge per se, but rather influence the production of a wide range of consumer goods—notably food, but increasingly also cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Modern forms of halal production, trade and consumption are proliferating on a global scale. A study by the Canadian government estimated the value of the annual global halal trade to be upwards of US$150 billion among the roughly 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2006). Halal is no longer simply a matter of extra religious regulations on food and food processing; it has become a huge and rapidly expanding global market that includes and affects Western biotechnology companies. The food industry is therefore paying increasing attention to various Muslim requirements, for example by avoiding substances that might be contaminated with porcine residues or alcohol such as gelatine, glycerine, emulsifiers, enzymes and flavouring agents (Riaz & Chaudry, 2003).

…many other food and pharmaceutical companies also decided to have their products certified as halal by various Muslim organizations

In Arabic, halal literally means ‘lawful' or ‘permitted'. The Quran and the Sunna—the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad—exhort Muslims to eat the good and lawful food that God has provided for them, but also state various prohibitions. Jewish kosher requirements are similar to halal requirements in many respects, but are more complex with regard to cross-contamination. Under the strictest definition of halal, Muslims are implicitly forbidden to eat carrion, spurting blood, pork or any meat from an animal that has not been slaughtered according to traditional guidelines—these forbidden substances are known as haram. Ritual slaughtering requires that the animal is killed in the name of God by making a fatal incision across the throat to drain as much of the blood as possible. Most Muslims also consider carnivorous animals, birds of prey, land animals without external ears and derivates from these animals to be haram; a minority of Muslims does not eat fish without scales such as catfish, shark, swordfish and shellfish.

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Another relevant Islamic prohibition relates to wine and any other alcoholic drink or substance, which are all haram in any quantity or type (Denny, 2006). However, there is a ‘grey area' between halal and haram concerning ‘doubtful' things that should be avoided, which is expressed by the word mashbooh. Whether a certain food commodity is lawful or unlawful therefore often depends on the opinion of religious scholars, or on suspicions of undetermined or prohibited ingredients. In practice, this means that, in order to avoid contamination from haram sources, religious authorities lso consider the context and handling of food when they determine whether a product is halal.


by J Fischer

Religious and ethnic groups in the UK and Scotland

The 2001 census data showed minority ethnic groups made up 7.9% or 4.6 million of the total UK population, 2% of which lived in Scotland. 59 These groups are concentrated in the four large cities, with almost half being of South Asian origin (from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) and the next largest community are Chinese people (0.3% of total population). 7 Other groups include; Black Caribbean, Black African or Other Black. 59 In addition the population of people migrating from the European Union countries has been increasing. 58 Other ethnic minority groups may be identified at the local level.

Although there is a more culturally diverse population, it remains predominantly Christian, with other large faith groups encompassing Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews.

I don't understand. Why is it allowed?

is it part of their faith?