veiled4allah: Islamic vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is not required in Islam. However, a number of Muslims feel that vegetarianism is the most moral course for a Muslim today.

The reasoning is similar to that of Islamic non-violence activists. Islam permits war and it permits eating meat. However, Islam sets rules and limits in regard to war and in regard to slaughtering animals. Life is sacred, both human and animal, and can only be taken under certain conditions (the conditions, obviously, are different for taking human life and taking animal life). Islamic non-violence activists argue that modern warfare is unable to meet the conditions of Islamic law and therefore Muslims must refrain from it. Islamic vegetarianism advocates argue that modern methods of raising animals for food do not meet the conditions of Islamic law and therefore Muslims should refrain from eating animals and animal products.

Some Muslims in the West are partly or wholly vegetarian because it's difficult for them to find halal (lawfully slaughtered) meat. I fall into this category. However, Islamic vegetarianism advocates go beyond this. As I understand it, their view is that halal butchers and others who provide slaughtering services get the animals from farms that do not treat the animals in accordance with Islamic rules. Sister Elham summarizes the argument:

Excerpt from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf article about 'The Sunnah and health' "…whenever the Qur’an mentions the word halal, which indicates what is permissible, it mentions tayyib, which means pure, immediately after it. What is meant by permissible and pure is that the food is not simply good to eat but it is a morally sound food, its source was ethically sound. It also has the meaning in the Arabic language of 'lawful', 'pure', 'esteemed'…Something that is pure and innocent is also Tayyib…Thus, the Qur’an commands us to eat 'pure and permissible food". (bold – mine)

What struck me with this excerpt was the question that how can the meat we eat be morally sound ( a necessary condition for something to be halal), when the animal has been tortured (contrary to Prophet (PBUH) teachings)? This meat is also impure because of the additions of unnatural growth hormones.

(Blogger is still screwing up permalinks, so scroll down to her second entry of April 11).

In other words, even "halal meat" is not really halal and Muslims should refrain from eating it.