Bob: Tell me why is it that a Muslim is very particular about the
words Halaal and Haraam; what do they mean?
Yunus: That which is permissible is termed Halaal and that which is
not permissible is termed Haraam and it is the Quran which draws the
distinction between the two.
Bob: Can you give me an example?
'Yunus: Yes, Islam has prohibited blood of any type. You will agree
that a chemical analysis of blood shows that it contains an abundance of
uric acid, a chemical substance which can be injurious to human health.
"Bob: You’re right about the toxic nature of uric acid, in the human
being it is excreted as a waste product and in fact we are told that 98%
of the body’s uric acid is extracted from the blood by the kidneys
and removed through urination.
Yunus: Now I think that you’ll appreciate the special prescribed
method of animal slaughter in Islam.
Bob: What do you mean?
"Yunus: You see, the wielder of the knife, whilst taking the name
of the Almighty, makes an incision through the jugular veins, leaving all
other veins and organs intact.
"Bob: I see, this causes the death of the animal by a total loss of
blood from the! body, rather than an injury to any vital organ. "
Yunus: Yes, were the organs, example the heart, the liver, or the
brain crippled or damaged, the animal could die immediately and its
blood would congeal in its veins and would eventually permeate the flesh.
This implies that the animal flesh would be permeated and contaminated
with uric acid and therefore very poisonous; only today did our dietitians
realize such a thing.
"Bob: Again, while on the topic of food; Why do Muslims condemn the
eating of pork or ham or any foods related to pigs or swine.
"Yunus: Actually, apart from the Quran prohibiting the consumption
of pork bacon (pig flesh); in fact the Bible too in Leviticus chapter
11,verse 8, regarding swine it says, ““of their flesh (of the swine
another name for pig)shall you not eat, and of their carcass you
shall not touch; they are " unclean to you.”” Further, did you know that
a pig cannot be slaughtered at the neck for it does not have a neck; that
is according to its natural anatomy. A Muslim reasons that if the pig
was to be slaughtered and fit for human consumption the Creator would
have provided it with a neck.
"Nonetheless, all that aside, I am sure you are well informed about
the harmful effects of the consumption of pork, in any form, be it pork
chops, ham, bacon.
Bob: The medical science finds that there is a risk for various
diseases as the pig is found to be a host for many parasites and potential
diseases.
"Yunus: Yes, even apart from that, as we talked about uric acid
content in the blood, it is important to note that the pig’s biochemistry
excretes only 2% of its total uric acid content, the remaining 98%
remains as an integral part of the body.
Note: Islam forbids not only pork but meat of all those animals who
eat their own or some one else’s body waste; the most commonly known
animal in this category is pig or swine whose meat is commonly known as
pork.