06/13/08, Opinion-Editorial, printed in the Finger Lakes Times (NY)
Pork Forbidden Due to Unclean Habits
By Sardar Anees Ahmad
Waterloo, New York
If I were to ask you to guess what was the number one meat consumed in the world, what would you say? No, not beef. Not chicken. It’s the other white meat – pork. With summer now here, and barbeque grills sure to be out, I felt this was a good time to answer an often-posed question – why does Islam prohibit the eating of swine?
Firstly, it should be understood that the prohibition of swine consumption is not peculiar to Islam. Jesus Christ (on whom be peace) clearly states that he did not repeal any Mosaic Law (Matthew 5:17-19). Not only does the Mosaic Law state pork consumption is forbidden, but even the touching of swine is prohibited (Leviticus 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 14:8; Isaiah 65:2-5). Moreover Jesus Christ warns to not present pure teachings before swinish people (Matthew 7:6) – an obvious reference to the animal’s foul nature.
While relative to a follower of the Abrahamic faiths, an agnostic or atheist finds little value in such teachings. Rock star atheist Christopher Hitchens argues in his best-seller, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, that an attempt to institute some form of dietary guideline is really designed to establish a religious groups’ identity. True to some extent, this argument does not dismiss the medical problems associated with swine’s consumption.
In Arabic, the very name of swine indicates the reason for the prohibition of its consumption. “Khinzeer” means, “I see it to be very foul.” Swine hosts at least nineteen types of worms. Its consumption has caused at least 70 different types of diseases – some of which are unique to swine (e.g. the fatal Classical Swine Fever Virus). When we eat animal fat, it is converted into human fat, which allows for toxin removal – a process called hydrolysis. However, pork fat does not undergo hydrolysis. While swine can itself tolerate very high levels of toxins, its digestive system, unlike many other animals, is not designed to filter toxins. When eaten, pork fat is stored in the human body as pork fat, containing many toxins.
Yes, with the passing of time, science has reduced the number of illnesses related to pork consumption. However, a significant number do remain. Moreover, the moral ramifications the Bible and Quran allude to are still very relevant.
Accordingly, swine’s natural environment is muck and feces, which it readily consumes. In villages where no running water or plumbing system exists, pigs are brought in to clear the public latrines. The swine has even been observed to eat the cancer of animals. It is the only animal that will readily invite another male to mate with its partner. Compare this lewd behavior with the majority of animals that will fight with one another for a female. Normally an herbivore, swine shows no hesitation in eating the flesh of its dead, particularly its own piglet. How rightly does the Bible denote its foul nature: “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud” (II Peter 2:22).
The prohibition of consumption of swine is therefore more of a protest against the habits of the animal. It does not mean that that these habits are necessarily transmitted to one who eats swine, or that a person who does not consume swine is immune from these habits. Rather, that a subtle relationship does exist between one’s environment, particularly his diet, and one’s nature – You are what you eat. For example, we observe that herbivores are more often docile animals and carnivores extremely aggressive. Of course there are exceptions, but the majority of animals do follow this trend. It is therefore of best interest to eat that which is clean, so as to avoid approaching the ill habits of swine.
For anyone interested, I will be discussing this issue in more depth as a guest on The Real Revolution Radio Show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/therealrevolution
So for one who puts little stock in religion, the medical implications associated with eating swine are still very relevant. For others, with the Bible and Quran warning of its foul nature, the reason to avoid eating swine is clear – shun the flesh, shun the habit.
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