Source: The Guardian via Sikandar Malik of Germany
Nesrine Malik
Halal products now extend far beyond the butcher’s shop. Photograph: Gregory Wrona/Alamy
A few years ago, the only “halal” signs one saw were on butchers’ shops. But now halal is turning into a global brand – as highlighted in a BBC documentary proclaiming that “The Future is Halal“.
The Arabic word “halal” means simply, that which is permitted in Islam (the opposite being “haram”, or what is forbidden), and until recently that definition meant little more than consuming meat slaughtered in a religiously compliant way, and avoiding pork and alcohol. Now there is an almost endless list of halal products. The hashtag #IslamicProducts on Twitter recently satirised the increasing absurdity of some of these innovations.