my newest obsession

Posted under current events, fiqh, what we eat by rahma

As I think I’ve mentioned previously, I have a (self diagnosed) obsessive-compulsive personality.  I find something to be excited about, be it running, salat or whatnot, and fixate on it for a few weeks or months before I slowly lose interest and move on to something else.  I’m just coming off my salat high, although I’m working hard not to lose it.  Let’s see if I can keep up 3 obsessions - 1. salat, 2. running, and 3, the new one - organic, free range halal meat.

The husband and I have been eating meat from the local groccery store with a bismillah at the beginning, which according to certain scholars is ok.  With more study on the matter, and the admonishment of several scholars I respect, I’ve found that unless there’s no halal meat available, that meat is filth and should be avoided.  That makes the chicken curry look a little bit less appetizing.  If one knows that the meat was slaughtered by a christian or a jew, in the name of God, then it’s ok, but how do we know who’s slaughtering out meat in a groccery store?

That, in conjunction with the disgusting practices that take place in the american meat industry, has set me on a new mission - to find a source of meat that is both humanely raised and slaughtered in a halal manner.  It isn’t good enough for the animal to be slaughtered in a halal, humane manner, if the animal was abused during it’s life on a factory farm.

Now, does such a thing exist?  I’m not quite sure.  One of the local ME groccery stores gets their meat from Halal Price Farms.   Their website is down, but they claim the chickens are naturally raised.  inshaAllah I’ll have to go check it out.   Another good source looks to be Crescent Halal, where the chickens are raised free range and fed a vegetarian diet.

Some reading on the issue:

• If it’s not Organic, it’s not Halal
• Halal, Organic or Vegetarian?
• Assorted Articles on Organic and Halal