Halāl (Arabic: حلال ḥalāl, 'permissible'), also spelled hallal or halaal is any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term covers and designates not only food and drink but also all matters of daily life. How this will impact the quality of life, economic growth or influence with the influx of 100,000 Syrian and other Middle East refugees coming to the United States, is yet to be determined.
Generally in Islam, every object and action is considered permissible unless there is a prohibition of it in the Islamic scriptures. Clarification and or consequences are given below in detail as to what is considered to be a permissible object or action in Islam, along with the exceptions.
Halal is most often used in reference to foods and drinks, i.e. foods that are permissible for Muslims to eat or drink under Islamic Shariah (law). The criteria specifies both what foods are allowed, and how the food must be prepared. The foods addressed are mostly types of meat and animal tissue.
The most common example of non-halal (or haraam) food is pork (pig meat). While pork is the only meat that cannot be eaten by all Muslims at all [for the Koran forbids] , foods other than pork can also be haraam. The criteria for non-pork items include their source, the cause of the animal's death, and how it was processed. It also depends on the Muslim's madhab.
The food must come from a supplier that uses halal practices. Specifically, the slaughter must be performed by a Muslim, who must precede the slaughter by invoking the name of Allah, most commonly by saying "Bismillah" ("In the name of God") and then three times "Allahu akbar" (God is the greatest).
Then, the animal must be slaughtered with a sharp knife by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck, causing the animal's death without cutting the spinal cord. Lastly, the blood from the veins must be drained.
Muslims must also ensure that all foods (particularly processed foods), as well as non-food items like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, are halal. Frequently, these products contain animal by-products or other ingredients that are not permissible for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies.
Foods that are not halal for Muslims to consume as per various Koran verses are:
Pork
Blood
Intoxicants and alcoholic beverages
Animals killed incorrectly and/or without Allah's name being pronounced before slaughter
Animals slaughtered in the name of anyone but "Allah". All that has been dedicated or offered in sacrifice to an idolatrous altar or saint or a person considered to be "divine."
Carrion (carcasses of dead animals, i.e. animals who died in the wild.
An animal that has been strangled, beaten (to death), killed by a fall, gored (to death), savaged by a beast of prey (unless finished off by a human) or sacrificed on a stone altar.
As you can see, there are many conflicts in the American way of life versus those verses in the Koran. Social events will have to cater to various ethnic and religious beliefs and customs and practices differ significantly that the basic American way of life.
I am certainly not advocating boycotting or even assuming these vendors or manufacturers are engaged with ISIS or any other Muslim Terror Group - that is yet to be determined as time passes by but one has to be aware of the cultural clashes coming up with Halal and Muslim refugees seeking Halal food items not sold in every store in the USA.
With approximately 190 cities receiving thousands of newly arriving Muslim refugees, this will be expanded and brought to the forefront in a fast and expedient manner by our government who embraces this movement.
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