{UAH} Why Muslims and Jews don't eat Pork

Why Do Jews Not Eat Pork or Crab?

On why pig and crab are not kosher foods

By Chani Benjaminson

Question:

I was wondering, why can't Jews eat pork or crab?

Answer:

In the Bible, G‑d lists two requirements for an animal to be kosher (fit to eat) for a Jew: Animals must chew their cud and have split hooves. Pigs do have split hooves but do not chew their cud, so we cannot eat pig meat and its derivatives. In the seafood department, we may only eat fish that have both fins and scales.

Here is a translation of the original Divine command, from Deuteronomy, Chapter 14:8-10:

And the pig, because it has a split hoof, but does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You shall neither eat of their flesh nor touch their carcass.

These you may eat of all that are in the waters; all that have fins and scales, you may eat.

But whatever does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

While the commandment to follow a kosher diet falls under the category of laws which do not necessarily seem logical,1 observing them only because G‑d commands us to,2 there are moral lessons we derive from them.

Here are several given:

1. The birds and many of the mammals we do not eat are predators, while the permitted animals are not. We are commanded not to eat those animals possessive of a cruel nature, so that we should not absorb these qualities into ourselves.3
2. The commandment refines the person and instills self-discipline.4

I hope this helps.

For more extensive information please see Which Animals Are Kosher? and Buying Kosher Meat & Fowl from our Kosher section.

For spiritual insights see Why Do We Keep Kosher? and Judaism and the Art of Eating.

Best wishes,

Chani Benjaminson
Chabad.org

Ask Ali: Why pork is forbidden for Muslims

Why is it haram to eat pork? How can I avoid misunderstandings with my Emirati co-workers?

Ali Al Saloom

December 14, 2012

Updated: December 14, 2012 04:00 AM

66

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Dear Ali: Why is it haram to eat pork? YM, Dubai

Dear YM: Your question brings up a very important issue. Well, in every culture you can find food that is taboo. In western societies, there are certain foods that are taboo, such as meat from horses, cats and dogs. However, in some parts of east Asia these aren't considered taboo. To some Indians, cow meat is a taboo due to their belief that the cow is a holy animal. And for us in the UAE, pork is taboo based on Islamic laws like in many other Arab nations.

The main reason pork is forbidden for Muslims is because it says in the Holy Quran that some food is allowed, while others are explicitly declared haram, which means forbidden. And pork is one of those forbidden foods. However, there is an exception that is written in the Holy Quran as well where it states that you can eat it if you are starving and there is nothing else to eat but pork. This is also in accordance with the Jewish faith, according to their laws and traditions of eating kosher meat.

Pork is not dirty but rather regarded as impure, unhealthy and harmful for humans due to the fats, toxins and bacteria it contains and the way the pig spends its life rolling around in mud and its own excrement. The specific aspect that pork is unhealthy has even been proven by scientists, such as Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg, who argued that western populations who eat pork carry more diseases than other populations who do not eat pork.

Processed pork can also be found in many other foods in the form of gelatin. And treatments such as radiation, which supposedly kills bacteria, might seem to make pork "cleaner" but the fact remains that the meat still comes from an animal Muslims are forbidden to eat.

Muslims living in western societies often face a challenge with this issue because they have a harder time finding halal meat and determining if animals have been slaughtered in an Islamic way, or if the food they buy contains any processed pork.

We live in a Muslim country that holds on to its religious laws but at the same time wants to offer a variety of international products and foods to attract our culturally diverse population. Therefore, while it's not easy to find pork, most hotels serve it. So, if you decide to eat pork, that is up to you.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

Find Me on LinkedIn

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