Meat From Christians and Jews
In Surah 5:5 of the Quran, it is written: "The food of the People of the Book is lawful for you as your food is lawful for them."
However, overwhelming majority of the scholars from the Muslim world agree that this verse speaks about the Christians of Prophet Muhammad's time and say that Christian methods of slaughtering and consumption has drastically changed over time as the diet played lesser importance in the daily practice of Christians. They also point to Deuteronomy chapter 14 verse 8 in the Bible which says that "Thou shall not eat of the swine nor shall you touch its dead carcasses." Matthew 15:11, though, notes, "What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” In this passage, Christ downplays the importance of dietary law and instead impeaches the incongruence in faith between the Pharisees' overt religious practice and their lack of true commitment to God. Pork and pork related products, which are forbidden in Islam, are consumed by Christians and used widely in food and food products. Kosher meats, which are consumed by Jews, are permissible if no Halal meat is available. This is due to the similarity between both methods of slaughtering and the similar principles of Kosher meat which are still observed by the orthodox Jews today.
Read more about this topic: Halal
Famous quotes containing the words meat, christians and/or jews:
“He was discontented and wasted his life into the bargain; and yet he rated it as a gain in coming to America, that here you could get tea, and coffee, and meat every day. But the only true America is that country where you are at liberty to pursue such a mode of life as may enable you to do without these, and where the state does not endeavor to compel you to sustain slavery and war and other superfluous expenses which directly or indirectly result from the use of such things.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“We are no longer Christians: we have outgrown Christianity not because we have been too remote from it but rather because we have been too close—it is precisely our more stringent and more fastidious piety that forbids us to remain Christians nowadays.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“When Hitler attacked the Jews ... I was not a Jew, therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then, Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church—and there was nobody left to be concerned.”
—Martin Niemller (1892–1984)