Cyprus-Forum.com

[jam argaka]

hI Does anyone know to buy halal meat in the polis/paphos area as my mother is a strict muslim and only has halal meat, she will be coming out with me soon to cyprus and she is a brillant cook lol.

Take care
Jamxx[quote][/quote]

[Sotos]

Is this thing Turkish? I don't know about it. So what is so special about it that strict Muslims will eat only this?

[halil]

What is Halal?
In Islam, Halal is an Arabic term meaning “lawful or permissible” and not only encompasses food and drink, but all matters of daily life.

The Social Context of Halal
Halal applies not only to food products but to all aspects of life and social context. One may hear mention of, "Halal money." What does this mean? For example, if a new religious center, school, hospital or any facility for social benefit is to be built, the funding must come from "clean" money or what is known as "Halal income." For example, money derived from gambling, the selling of alcohol, drug trafficking, illicit social vices, or any illegal activity is considered Haram or detrimental to society and therefore not acceptable or considered a Halal income.
This is but one brief example of Halal in a social context. Therefore, when one hears the word Halal outside the food industry, one must think of it as a way in conduct of all aspects of life and betterment of society. Halal certification of food also means a pure and more wholesome nourishment for mankind.
What is Haram?

The opposite of Halal is Haram, which means “unlawful, not permissible or prohibited.”

They may also be summarized as: A. B. C. I. S.

A: Alcohol
B: Blood
C: Carniverous animals or carriers of disease
I: Idolartry (any animals or poultry sacrificed for voodoo, witchcraft or anything
denying the existance of the the Deity is the same as paganism or atheism.)
S: Swine and all pork by-products and/or derivatives


The following products are Haram and negate the Halal status:
• Swine/pork and all of its by-products
• Animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering
• Animals killed or falsely sacrificed in any name other than God, the Merciful such as slaughter of "false sacrifice" to witchcraft, paganism, voodoo or idolatry are forbidden.
• Alcohol, intoxicants and narcotic drugs
• Carniverous animals, birds of prey and scavenger animals or foul
• Blood and blood by-products (blood is the circulatory cleansing fluid of the body and is not to be consumed)
• Foods contaminated with any of the above products or contaminated with "impurities" (in Arabic, "najis") from processing, such as manure, urine, rodent droppings, infectous fluids, pus, etc are considered Haram.
The following list of ingredients is a partial list of examples of what should be avoided and are considered non-Halal as well:

• Alcohol
• Non-Halal Animal Fat
• Enzymes *Microbial Enzymes are permissible
• Gelatin * - from non-Halal source (fish gelatin is Halal)
• L-cysteine (if from human hair)
• Lard
• Lipase* only animal lipase need be avoided
• Non-Halal Animal Shortening
• Pork Bacon
• Pork Ham
• Unspecified Meat Broth
• Rennet* All forms should be avoided except for plant/microbial/synthetic.
• Rum
• Stock* - a blend of mix species broth or meat stock
• Tallow* - non-Halal species
• Wine
*May be consumed if derived from Halal animals

Halal Education
Many people assume that Halal and Kosher are the same thing. They are mistaken! If a product is Kosher certified, it does not mean the product is automatically Halal. The Kosher process differs from what is allowable by the Islamic Shari'a. For example, there are Kosher wines and alcohol but this is not permissible or acceptable for Halal foods. Another example of the difference between Halal and Kosher are slaughter procedures. For Halal meat and poultry processing, the Muslim slaughterman is required to acknowledge God's Creation and to thank God for providing sustenance by stating a prayer before each and every slaughter. Muslim slaughtermen invoke God's name before each and every slaughter with the statement, “In the name of God – God is the Greatest/Bismillahi Allahu Akbar.” The Shochet, or Jewish slaughterman, does not and is not required to invoke God's name on each animal before each slaughter. With Halal slaughtering, the entire carcas is utilized. With Kosher slaughtering, only the front four-quarter of the beef carcass is utilized. The Kosher hind quarters cannot be considered Halal as the Shochet does not adhere to Islamic Law and Halal guidelines and does not pronounce the name of God before each slaughter. Within the meat industry, some companies and distributors attempt to claim or purport Kosher hind quarters to be sold as "Halal" beef. Within Islam, Kosher slaughtering and handling is respected and industry is responsible to understand the guidelines and differences between Halal slaughter, invoking God's name before each slaughter, and traditional Kosher slaughter rites and not mislead consumers.

Simply put, Halal and Kosher are similar but yet as different as "vegetarian" and "vegan." However, it is a fact in some situations and circumstances, Kosher consumers accept Halal and some Halal consumers may accept Kosher.

[phoenix]

Unecessarily fastidious and almost blatantly self aggrandizing . . . considering the hardships on our planet.

Would be better to keep such things simple. It would be more conducive to a healthier mind if one was not obsessed with the fulfillment of such requirements in order to feel they are carrying out their duties as good citizens.

Neglect to more important matters is the result of excessive observance of rituals.

[cymart]

There is a butchers that sells it right in the centre of the old town behine the co-operative bank next to the town hall and municipal gardens.
I actually have very strong feelings against both Halal and Kosher slaughter as animals are not usually stunned before they are forced to bleed to death by having their throats cut and I know many people in many countries who agree with my sentiments.Although moslems don't have any exact religious opposition to stunning animals beforehand and now do it it larger countries where halal meat is produced,Jews will not consider it,alleging that their religious laws forbid it.Scientific investigations in Britain have regularly recommended stunning should be made compulsory as animals are otherwised likely to suffer unnecessary stress and pain but the Jewish lobby is very powerful and has so far resisted any attempts to make it compulsory for religious as well as non-religious slaughter.Equally objectionable is that carcasses that have been slaughtered by kosher methods are often later sold on the open market once the parts that they consider edible have been removed and people may often unwittingly buy meat that they would not do if they knew how the animal had been killed.By the way,I have nothing against Jews or anyone else but consider that their laws written thousands of years ago when they lived in primitive conditions do not apply in the 21st century and need reviewing and updating, especially considering animal welfare etc.

[jam argaka]

I'm sorry if people are upset by the way HALAL meat is done by the animals not being stunned, but that's the way older generations have been brought up in whatever Islamic country there are born in.

To be honest i rather it people in UK or anywhere else that commit crimes on people especially the elderly or the vulnerable were stunned and shot or even better hung and slit LOL.

Thank for replying ill check the butchers in the old town, back of town hall and see what they sell.

It just that i love my mums food but ill have to provide ingredients.

Take care
JAM XX

[zan]

Unecessarily fastidious and almost blatantly self aggrandizing . . . considering the hardships on our planet.

Would be better to keep such things simple. It would be more conducive to a healthier mind if one was not obsessed with the fulfillment of such requirements in order to feel they are carrying out their duties as good citizens.

Neglect to more important matters is the result of excessive observance of rituals.

have you ever been to a Greek Orthodox wedding.......How long can a wedding go on for...and whats with the nearly taking my eye out with those bloody sweats at the end......Enjoyed the song though 2 bloody hours of droning

[kafenes]

hI Does anyone know to buy halal meat in the polis/paphos area as my mother is a strict muslim and only has halal meat, she will be coming out with me soon to cyprus and she is a brillant cook lol.

Take care
Jamxx

I have seen one butcher advertising halal meat on his window. It's a few shops down from Calypso music in Paphos. Somewhere behind the public library car park opposite the police station.

[phoenix]

Unecessarily fastidious and almost blatantly self aggrandizing . . . considering the hardships on our planet.

Would be better to keep such things simple. It would be more conducive to a healthier mind if one was not obsessed with the fulfillment of such requirements in order to feel they are carrying out their duties as good citizens.

Neglect to more important matters is the result of excessive observance of rituals.

have you ever been to a Greek Orthodox wedding.......How long can a wedding go on for...and whats with the nearly taking my eye out with those bloody sweats at the end......Enjoyed the song though 2 bloody hours of droning

Good point Zan, ban Halal products and weddings!

Let's go back to being heathens . . .

[Eliko]

Unless I am mistaken, I do believe that the process of slaughter by the 'Qualified' Halal butcher is deemed to be painless.

Whereas it may look gruesome, I have witnessed many such slaughters 'Expertly Undertaken' and have never seen any signs of distress from the animal.

I am told that the natural shock of being slaughtered, ensures it is pain free.

Since there is no real way of determining the degree of pain suffered by the initial stunning procedure (which could well be MORE painful than the actual death stroke of a qualified 'Halal Butcher') I feel we should allow those who advocate it's virtues to do so.

It is a tradition that has been passed down through centuries, another cultural difference better left alone.

In my humble opinion.