Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Religious Views on Eating Pork


Why is the eating of pork forbidden in Islam?


By : Dr Zakir Naik


The fact that consumption of pork is prohibited in Islam is well known. The following points explain various aspects of this prohibition:



1. Pork prohibited in Qur’an


The Qur’an prohibits the consumption of pork in no less than 4 different places. It is prohibited in 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115.


"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah." [Al-Qur’an 5:3]


The above verses of the Holy Qur’an are sufficient to satisfy a Muslim as to why pork is forbidden.


2. Pork prohibited in the Bible

The Christian is likely to be convinced by his religious scriptures. The Bible prohibits the consumption of pork, in the book of Leviticus


"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you".


"Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you."[Leviticus 11:7-8]


Pork is also prohibited in the Bible in the book of Deuteronomy


"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 carcass."

[Deuteronomy 14:8]


A similar prohibition is repeated in the Bible in the book of Isaiah chapter 65 verse 2-5.


3. Consumption of pork causes several diseases

The other non-Muslims and atheists will agree only if convinced through reason, logic and science. Eating of pork can cause no less than seventy different types of diseases. A person can have various helminthes like roundworm, pinworm, hookworm, etc. One of the most dangerous is Taenia Solium, which is in lay man’s terminology called tapeworm. It harbours in the intestine and is very long. Its ova i.e. eggs, enter the blood stream and can reach almost all the organs of the body. If it enters the brain it can cause memory loss. If it enters the heart it can cause heart attack, if it enters the eye it can cause blindness, if it enters the liver it can cause liver damage. It can damage almost all the organs of the body.

Another dangerous helminthes is Trichura Tichurasis. A common misconception about pork is that if it is cooked well, these ova die. In a research project undertaken in America, it was found that out of twenty-four people suffering from Trichura Tichurasis, twenty two had cooked the pork very well. This indicates that the ova present in the pork do not die under normal cooking temperature.


4. Pork has fat building material

Pork has very little muscle building material and contains excess of fat. This fat gets deposited in the vessels and can cause hypertension and heart attack. It is not surprising that over 50% of Americans suffer from hypertension.


5. Pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth

The pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth. It lives and thrives on muck, faeces and dirt. It is the best scavenger that I know that God has produced. In the villages they don’t have modern toilets and the villagers excrete in the open air. Very often excreta is cleared by pigs.


Some may argue that in advanced countries like Australia, pigs are bred in very clean and hygienic conditions. Even in these hygienic conditions the pigs are kept together in sties. No matter how hard you try to keep them clean they are filthy by nature. They eat and enjoy their own as well as their neighbour’s excreta.


6. Pig is the most shameless animal

The pig is the most shameless animal on the face of the earth. It is the only animal that invites its friends to have sex with its mate. In America, most people consume pork. Many times after dance parties, they have swapping of wives; i.e. many say "you sleep with my wife and I will sleep with your wife." If you eat pigs then you behave like pigs. We Indians look upon America to be very advanced and sophisticated. Whatever they do, we follow after a few years. According to an article in Island magazine, this practice of swapping wives has become common in the affluent circles of Bombay.

Copyright © For Everyone, :: Ummah Network ::

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Islam in the West : Its Future

ISLAM AND ITS FUTURE

" When Allah's succour and the triumph cometh, and you see mankind entering the religion of God in troops, then hymn the praises of your Lord and seek forgiveness. Lo! He is ever ready to show mercy" Quran 110:1-2-3

The movement of immigrants, refugees, migrant labor and exiles from all over the Muslim world to Western nations in the post-World War II era, coupled with the conversion of Europeans and Americans to Islam, has created a new dynamic, transforming the old relationship between "Islam" and "the West." Islam and Muslims are not exclusively "over there" or "the other." They have become part and parcel of the West. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Islam is not only the second largest religion in the world, it has become the second- or third-largest religion in Europe and North America.

The Muslims in the West deserve the sympathetic support of the Muslim community (ummah) as a whole. And the ones who do feel concern for Muslims in the West must understand that they will only do harm if their motive is to force Western Muslims into any particular mold. We have the example of the village Imams imported from Pakistan and Bangladesh in the British communities, who do not help to integrate. The "Islam" which they offer to anyone who shows interest is not the Islamic Faith that Muslims in the West recognize or share. Another example is also those of our Saudi brothers who would like us all to adopt a Wahabi, or should I say Muwahid, understanding of Islam. No one should involve himself in this matter unless he is able to adopt a very broad and tolerant view of the Faith and unless he is prepared to make allowances for the difficulty in following the Shari‘ah fully in such an alien environment. What we most need is unity between the different communities of Muslim immigrants and also their offspring. We do not need the creation of further divisions and further conflict.

The essential, so far as Muslims in the West are concerned, is an agreement to differ. It is pointless to expect the majority of Muslims in Europe and America to practice Islam exactly as they did or should have done in their country of origin, and to insist that they do so is a sure way to drive the young out into the wilderness.
(source:The Muslims in the West by Charles Gai Eaton (Hassan Abdul Hakeem))



As for the future of Islam, many scholars and Muslims differ on its trend in the West. Many think that Islam will rise, anew, from the West and that the West will convert to Islam. Other scholars disagree. They think that the West lived and will still live as a secular world and that Islam cannot overcome the obstacles it has set forth.

Al-Faruqi, a Professor of Islamic studies in an American university, said: “The best of Islamic victories will be conquering America through its conversion to Islam. But is this feasible? Will America, so engrossed in materialism, become a Muslim country? We can hope that many more Westerners will one day convert to Islam.

He thinks that America will certainly be Muslim one day. The failure of Christianity and Capitalism may lead to that end. According to him, the West will soon seek another alternative to its way of life. Also, it can be seeen that many Western scholars are converting to Islam and trying to introduce Islam to the West. Dr. Murad Hoffman, former Germany’s ambassador to Morocco, wrote a book he called, “Islam is the Alternate Solution.” He wrote: “I think that the movement to revive Islam will come from Europe in the 21st century.” Also, when Roger Garaudy (a French philosopher) became a Muslim, Europe was shocked because a materialist and a communist thinker became a Muslim!

Dr. Kamal Abdul-Hamid Nimr, another professor with the Saudi Academy in Washington, disagrees. He said: “Those who dream of the rise of the Islamic state from America are misguided. The religious freedom, that they experience in America and were prevented from in their own homelands, is misleading. The rise of Islam from America is but a sweet dream!”. He thinks that it is impossible that Islam can be established in such a society so deeply egocentric and materialistic. He thinks that the west will stay as it is, an enemy of Islam, and is driven to this conclusion by what the West has become. He sees the collapse of morality, disbelief and rejection of faith that the West is experiencing. They think that the effect of Western Civilization and the huge number of misconceptions about Islam will prevent them from answering the call to Islam.

However the case, we shall be optimistic, given the number of people converting to Islam everyday in the Western countries, and we shall put our trust in God, who will not leave His people without help provided they make some humble effort to deserve this help. Insha Allah!


Original source, please visit : http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/april02_index.php?l=7