It’s late so I am just going to just start typing until I stop. This may come out pretty disjointed – I might come back another time and fix up or add more to this post if I have time over the weekend inshaAllah
I live in a country where the majority of the population is not Muslim. Not many non-Muslims know about the concept of food being either halal (permissible) or haraam (forbidden). I don’t expect them to know about it. When I was younger as far as I can remember in Zimbabwe there were no laws for compulsory labelling on food packaging and we pretty much ate everything (we bought all our meat from halal butchers obviously but things such as marshmallows, jelly babies and fruit gums OH MY GOD I MISS THOSE FRUIT GUMS were all eaten in our house.) Maybe in those days, we were just not so strict. Maybe we knew that the sources of the ingredients were all legitimate halal sources. I can’t remember. When we moved to Australia we never checked the ingredients of things we bought – we kept on eating marshmallows, jelly babies and my sisters and I discovered the heavenly Summer Roll Chocolate. Then over time, we began to become more conscious of what we were eating – gelatine is an animal product and most certainly not allowed- and our favourite sweets and chocolates were promptly taken off the shopping list although they never quite left the “craving for” list. I still check Summer Rolls to see if the makers have somehow managed to devise a way to maintain the chewy nougat centre without needing to use gelatine. Please try harder, Europe bars.
I’ve started with gelatine so let’s talk about that, shall we?
Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses.
Many Muslims believe that if the gelatine is produced from cattle or other non-pig sources then it is halal, even if the animal has not been slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines because the process by which gelatine is made renders the finished product so far removed from the original source (Tabdeel-e-Mahiyat) AFIC holds this view too.
Products made from the following substances are Halal unless containing or come into contact with a Haram substance…………..
…Gelatine produced from beef skins and/or bones,…
I don’t know if this opinion is held by the majority of Muslims but in any case, I am really struggling with this ruling. I’m not saying that it’s wrong, it’s just not a ruling that I can agree with FOR MYSELF. Sunnipath has a different view on gelatine – the whole article gives a comprehensive explanation on many aspects of halal and haram food, including a detailed step-by-step analysis of the process of gelatine production. It’s very good reading:
If the source of Gelatine is derived from a Halaal source then its usage is permissible, whilst if the source is Haraam or Mashqook [doubtful] then it will be considered Haraam……
……….Despite the above method of changing a raw product into gelatine under tremendous chemical pressure still retains much of its chemical equation. The collagen triple helix structure is lost during this procedure but the resultant Gelatine product retains the original coil structure. The aspect of Tabdeel-e-Mahiyyat does not take place.
My understanding here is that if the gelatine is derived from beef bones then it will only be permissible if the cattle are slaughtered Islamically. One can’t just say that since it’s made from beef it’s automatically halal. I am not sure if I am correct in my interpretation here, maybe someone else can help me out.
Now ok let me digress here a bit – why the issue? Why am I making such a mountain of a molehill? Why am I purposely trying to make Islam difficult? I don’t think I am. I think that as a Muslim I must be careful what I put into my mouth and if the information out there allows me to see exactly what part of the product comes from what part of the animal then I can be well informed to decide for myself. I am not saying that others who take the AFIC view are wrong. Alhamdulillah the differences in opinion are a mercy to us but for me, again I want to say FOR ME, I don’t know if I can say that just because AFIC has certified something as halal, that it is permissible FOR ME.
And gelatine is just ONE thing here. I mean just the other day I had a brother call me to get a veterinary opinion on the stunning methods used in the abattoirs here because he was convinced that the method currently in use renders the meat impermissible. Then we have the E471, the animal rennet (if it’s calf rennet I will eat it, because I follow the Hanafi school of thought but most other schools will not allow it), then the vanilla essence and peppermint essence in Arnott’s biscuits. At one time someone said that all Arnott’s biscuits were haram. I don’t think that one can go too far. If you want to do a nutritional breakdown on everything in the supermarket, be my guest. I don’t eat gelatine that says it’s “halal” but I will eat Arnott’s biscuits because I believe synthetic alcohol in small doses and for flavour is ok. I don’t eat jelly babies. I do eat gelatine products from Malaysia if they have a halal stamp on them.
The thing is that everyone has a different opinion on what is permissible and what is not. There are some who say if it isn’t pork, it’s halal. Some say if you just say “bismillah” pretty much everything is halal. Then there are others who say if AFIC says it’s halal, it’s halal. If the company says they only put halal gelatine in their products, then it’s halal. If it’s a synthetic alcohol, it’s halal. I don’t keep cheese with animal rennet in my home anymore because I know the majority of my friends and family will consider it haram. I don’t offer those friends Arnott’s biscuits if they believe that the vanilla essence in the biscuits is haram. I try not to argue with people on their opinions but I try to respect it. Where I really get annoyed is when people make comments when I bring something to their house and say things like, “Oh. Can we eat that now?” or “Is that halal, now?” I feel like saying, “Well, actually it’s haram but I just like to eat haram things and I would love for you to partake in my sinning.” I mean OF COURSE IF I BOUGHT IT, I THINK IT’S OK TO EAT. And then the very same people who check and double check and call the companies and don’t eat anything with vanilla in it are the first ones to go out to eat in restaurants and just assume that if they eat something from the vegetarian menu, it’s all ok. Do they drill the waiter or the owner of the restaurant to make sure there is no E471 or gelatine or vanilla? NO.
You can’t have it both ways. If you are going to give me, a Muslim, the third degree and in the same breath tell me how wonderful xyx non-Muslim owned restaurant is, then you really need to shut your mouth.
So.
- everyone has a different view on what is halal and what is haram
- and that’s ok
- if someone doesn’t want to eat anything with animal derived E471 or gelatine from non zabiha cattle or vanilla essence then it’s really ok
- they aren’t making Islam difficult FOR THEM
- sure it gets your knickers in a knot but
- everyone has a different view on what is halal and what is haram
- and that’s ok
I am totally with you on this.
We in Canada, can get marshmallows made with halaal beef – there is an ingredient list and halaal certification stamp. Ingredient lists are the law up here so it makes eating halaal so much easier.
“You can’t have it both ways. If you are going to give me, a Muslim, the third degree and in the same breath tell me how wonderful xyx non-Muslim owned restaurant is, then you really need to shut your mouth.” –> love this!!!!
What should be something simple has been made into something really complicated.
It’s complicated for you but not for me. It’s not hard for me to say, not eat out at a particular restaurant because I am not sure if they’re halal or from not buying that particular packet of marshmallows. A lot of time Muslims use the cop out of “well, Islam isn’t supposed to be difficult for me” to excuse them from doing their duty.
Hey Aneesa thanks
Tas: Have you told anyone to “shut their mouths” ??? lol! The hypocrasy is everywhere … in the end you have to answer for your deeds, or mis-deeds as the case may be.
Do you get vegetable gelatin there??? I’ve seen it on some halaal packaging for something … can’t remember what it was but I have seen it.
Excellent post. Totally agree with you.
Aneesa – I’ve never told anyone to shut their mouths. Too chicken (oh and of course too polite
)
We have agar agar which is a great gelatine substitute though nothing works on cheesecakes quite as well as the real gelatine.
Hey, can we eat Dixie Drumsticks?
Because YOU TOLD ME they were okay, and then I phoned Lane’s anyway to check, and they told me they use PIG FAT. In LARGE QUANTITIES.
hahahahahaha
In all seriousness, one benefit (of about two – the other one is the snow. But check back with me after I slip and fall or something…) of living here is that most things are labelled (with a big green V) if they are suitable for vegetarians. And they seem to be quite diligent about ingredients and labelling.
I read ingredients anyway, to check for alcoholly stuff, and I haven’t caught them out for including E120 (the colouring made of bugs) or something.
Some manufacturers even go so far as to write “not suitable for vegetarians” on packaging. Makes life so much easier, and it really shows responsibility and accountability. Not like Paul’s/Ski/Danone yoghurt etc back home – OMG that whole situation really gets my goat.
PS: don’t you find gelatine in cheesecake makes the texture kind of rubbery? Or worse, when you get those rubbery globules because it sets before it has mixed into the batter properly?
I like the recipe that sets with lemon juice, tastes lovely too – but best with fruity cheesecakes. Chocolate/coffee etc ones are probably better with gelatine (sans rubbery globules)
The thing with the Pauls/ski/danone is that someone must have told them that if they are using beef only gelatine then it is halal. I don’t think there is any deception going on there. For most Muslims I have found out, that it’s beef gelatine means it’s halal.
I do love the plain lemon juice set cheesecake and that would be the best by far. I prefer the gelatine set ones to baked cheesecakes, though. Safeera made this lovely lemon baked one for Eid (we miss you so much!) and it was so beautiful so might have to change my mind about the baked ones.
Well I thought summer roll was halal, Eurpoe bars are from cadbury and all gelatine in cadbury is Halal (so I was told). Everyone has their own opinions and beliefs on halal and haraam but if you look out there so many things are labeled halal anyway, which is very surprising. By the way you can eat jelly babies, banana lollies and other yummy lollies at crazy clarks, some of these products have a halal label on them and the company which makes it is called “Allseps”.
Great post. My sentiments exactly, Tasmiya.
Nina, gelatine used in everything you mentioned is only halal if you go by Tabdeel-e-Mahiyyat, as Tasmiya discussed above. So for those like Tasmiya and myself, it’s a no no.
Also, have you ever wondered why the Cadbury products with gelatine aren’t halal certified if you think the gelatine is? Maybe you should call the Halal Helpline and ask?
Are Jelly Babies Haram Because This Post Doesn’t Tell Me Anything
Please search what arnotts company says about their products if it is halal or not at their website link is below:
http://www.arnotts.com/faq.aspx