Muslims and pork

[morocco4ever 63]

Okay, I have wondered what the reason that Muslims don't eat pork. I have been told in the past it is because if it isn't cooked properly that it is unsafe, but that doesn't seem right since Chicken is the same.

I have also heard that on Noah's Ark there was so much animal waste, and Allah fixed the solution by causing the pigs to eat the waste.

So for all of you out there that now the answer I would sure like to hear.

[Jenn! 918]

Wadi tells me it's because pigs eat their own feces. I imagine that's true, but I would think that other animals do that as well. I don't know...

[melly 0]

"To abstain from consuming pork means to care about one?s health. The omnivorous pig, being by far the most slovenly and greedy domestic animal, devours virtually anything, including human excrement and is a breeding ground for various malignant microbes and parasites. Consumption of pork may result in many serious diseases. We are safe to assume that one of the main reasons behind the prohibition of pork consumption was the spread of trichinosis, - a disease caused by trichinella spiralis, a parasitic roundworm.

Trichinosis is caused by eating infected raw or insufficiently cooked pork, in which the immature parasite is encysted. When such a piece of meat is eaten, the encysted embryos are set free in the intestines, and develop into full-grown trichinae. From each pair of these, thousands of new embryos may arise in the course of several weeks. As soon as this new generation of embryos is produced, they make their way into the wall of the bowel, and thence wander through the circulation system, finally depositing themselves between the fibers of the voluntary muscles, where they become encysted. The first symptoms develop in the course of two weeks after the infection. The disease is characterized by fever and severe pain in the limbs and muscles, oedema of the soft tissues, and eosinophilia in the blood. The infection may result in severe damage to the nervous system (in the form of encephalitis), cardiac muscle (miocarditis), as well as other complications."

Taken from this page:

http://eng.islam.ru/lib/pork/

[Sofiyya 1,687]

The Bible advises against eating pork, too.

And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

- Deuteronomy 14:8

[honeyblonde 0]

My father was a Baptist minister and had a masters in religious education (for what that's worth) and he always said that the reason the Old Testament taught not to eat pork was that because at that time there wasn't the refrigeration available that we have today, so pork was just not safe, due to the reasons already listed here.

I think with chickens (which also eat some pretty gross stuff) you only have enough for one meal so that is probably why it isn't on the list. Pigs are so big there's no way you can eat all of one immediately after killing it (unless you're having a huge feast), so it would make sense that it was just advised not to eat it. There are quite a few things in the Old Testament that were just plain common sense for people living in the conditions they lived in at that time. It is still logical for people who don't have many of the modern conveniences we have here in the US to avoid pork.

We also have advanced veterinarian medicine here so I would think that pig farmers could keep a much higher quality of purity in the pork they produce than what could have been done in the past. Doesn't the FDA have guidelines for meat that have to be met to market the product?

[melly 0]

You have a good point that conditions are different today then they were so many years ago, however, if Allah commands us not to eat pork, it doesn't matter much if they can rid the animal of any disease that humans could catch.

No means no.

Plus, there could be other reasons that Allah commanded that we not eat it that we are unaware of. Only Allah knows everything, and surely He knows best.

[noura 0]

Very interesting topic and it was discussed today at the dinner table (after dinner). I wish I'd had this thread handy then. My family is heavy into eating pork.

[melly 0]

Funny thing is, since becoming vegetarian over.... gosh.. 20 years ago (with a brief lapse) pork is the thing I miss most. I could care less about steak or chicken, but sausage and bacon and ham and bbq ribs? Man alive I miss those. Especially the smell.

I've heard it's actually fairly common among vegetarians that the meat they miss most is pork. Maybe it's a salt issue??

[noura 0]

Funny thing is, since becoming vegetarian over.... gosh.. 20 years ago (with a brief lapse) pork is the thing I miss most. I could care less about steak or chicken, but sausage and bacon and ham and bbq ribs? Man alive I miss those. Especially the smell.

I've heard it's actually fairly common among vegetarians that the meat they miss most is pork. Maybe it's a salt issue??

I was a vegetarian for 10 yrs... my first real craving that brought me back to meat was of all things - CHICKEN SCHWARMA! Now I eat most meat, but try to keep away from most pork (I do like it tho).

[sarachid 0]

You have a good point that conditions are different today then they were so many years ago, however, if Allah commands us not to eat pork, it doesn't matter much if they can rid the animal of any disease that humans could catch.

No means no.

Plus, there could be other reasons that Allah commanded that we not eat it that we are unaware of. Only Allah knows everything, and surely He knows best.

I agree... We don't know all the reasons why, just that it is forbidden..

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Some anthropologists have a theory that because Semetic people lived in arid, desert areas and moved around a lot in caravans. it wasn't easy to keep pigs because, unlike sheep and goats, they don't herd well. And, their cloven hooves don't allow them to travese the desert without a great deal of difficulty. So, to facilitate the nomadic lifestyle of the majority of the population in those times, pigs were discouraged as a food resource.

[djcess 0]

...but pork is good! Pork barbecue, pork sinigang, ground pork used in siomai chinese dimsum, LECHON! "dirt is part of the ingredients." i guess that's why it's yummy...?

[cbd2cai 0]

...but pork is good! Pork barbecue, pork sinigang, ground pork used in siomai chinese dimsum, LECHON! "dirt is part of the ingredients." i guess that's why it's yummy...?

Yes, I have to admit the food that I like the most that uses pork just happens to be Chinese. I think that pork is better than beef for many reasons . . . pork industry's slogan "Pork . . . the other white meat!" . . . but I eat lots of chicken. Too each their own . . . follow what is right for you.

[doodlebug 3]

Okay, I have wondered what the reason that Muslims don't eat pork.

'cause God said so.

[Ahmed & Ella 0]

muslims dont eat pork for their religious purposes......