by Mo Siddiq

Created on: July 13, 2008

Haraam and Halaal are two of the most important terms in Islam; they define what is permissible and impermissible in every aspect of a Muslim's life, from general behavior to the meal one consumes on his or her dinner plate. One of the things that is deemed Haraam in Islam is the eating of swine, also known as pork. Considering that Islam's revelation was over a thousand years ago, there are two plausible explanations that are worth noting.

Firstly, there have been many tribes, especially in Africa and South America, where the notion "you are what you eat" seems to make sense. Warriors of these tribes would often eat the hearts of their opponent to take the enemies strength into themselves. Often times, this enemy was an opposing tribesman. However, this notion did extend beyond humans and it wasn't uncommon for hunters to devour the hearts of lions or other such beasts. Thereby, following this idea, one would have to examine the nature of the pigit is filthy and completely undesirable. The pig, which often time feasts in its own feces, is an animal that had no attractive qualities, and, therefore, one should be forbidden to eat such a thing.

A second, more modern reasoning might be due to the experiences of people with the consumption of swine. In Islam, it is instructed that the animal to be consumed be killed with a blade to the throat. This process kills the animal and opens the jugular vein, while leaving all other vital organs and veins intact. This lets all the blood, which is full of uric acid, drain. The uric acid which is the bloodstream is actually potentially harmful to human health, and if any other method of execution, such as smashing the head, were utilized, the blood and uric acid would contaminate the animal's body.

The argument, of course, is as to why pork is forbidden, even if it is attained with the same procedure as other animals. Most importantly, the instructions for execution can not be carried out for a pig; a pig has no neck through which an incision can be made. As a result, it is understandable why Muslims felt that eating a pig was Haraam; their creator, because He didn't create them with a neck, didn't want the pig to be eaten. Furthermore, medical scientists have also found that pigs are more prone to carrying various diseases and parasites. Again, this could have been discovered through trial and error before technology was available to conduct research.

Pork, whether for traditional or scientific reasons, is forbidden in Islam. Most likely, this is due to the nature of the big, regarding both its behavior and its anatomy. Furthermore, Islam isn't the first religion where pork is forbidden as Judaism speaks against the consumption of swine also. Even more interesting, however, is that the Bible does the same. In Leviticus, Chapter 11, verse 8, it says, "of their flesh (of the swine another name for pig) shall you not eat, and of their carcass you shall not
touch; they are 'unclean to you.'" Thus, it seems that the three major monotheistic religions of the modern world, share something besides a common goda common guide to a healthy diet which existed long before meat inspectors and health experts told us what was permissible and what not.

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