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Halal
is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite
of Halal
is Haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. These two
terms are applicable to all facets of Islamic life, including
foods.
Foods considered Haram are swine/pork and its by products,
animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering,
animals killed in the name of anyone other than Allah, alcohol
and intoxicants, carnivorous animals, birds of prey and
land animals without external ears, blood and blood by-products
and foods containing any of the above products. All those
products which are not Haram, are Halal.
Many foods products are clearly Halal or clearly Haram,
other are often referred to as Mashbooh, which means doubtful
or questionable. Foods containing ingredients such as gelatine,
enzymes, emulsifiers, stabilizer, sausages, fatty acids,
etc. are questionable (Mashbooh) because the origin (plant
or animal sources) of these ingredients is not specified.
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