To serve Muslim guests on a Halal salami pizza?

[DrSeuss]

Salaam Alaikum to our Muslim sisters. Not looking to debate the pros and cons of Islam so please no hijacks. Straight question-vegetarian pizza dough with mozzarella and Halal salami, cooked in a tray that has been used for all sorts in a non-Muslim household. acceptable to Muslim guests or not? A champagne toast for the birthday girl where you are given sparkling apple juice and invited to join in- OK or would you prefer to sit in the living room while we do that in the dining room? The lady in question is a very dear friend and it is very important to me tat she be made welcome and feel comfortable. I have no wish to debate whether that's the "right" thing, I only want to know the best way to do this. Thanks. Shukran. Shukryah.

I agree with some of the other posters, go for the veggie pizza option. Hope you have a good party.

Sounds fine OP

I have to ask though, why would anyone prefer to sit in another room while all the other guests toast the birthday girl?

Surely that would be just plain rude no matter what your religious beliefs?

As far as I'm aware, Muslims don't tend to have a problem being around alcohol...they just tend not to drink it (depending on how strict they are of course)

Isn't salami pork? Maybe I'm mistaken...

I went to Uni with a Muslim who would not attend a party where alcohol would be served and would not sit at a dinner table where it was served with a meal so it happens. I would not be offended if she wanted to absent herself from a part of a party which revolved around drink. I would not, for example, attend an Eid party at the Mosque and expect to attend the prayers. Cross cultural events work fine IMO, if everyone just thinks a bit about how it will all work out.

If we are having Muslim or Jewish guests who observe the no meat/milk thing I tend to just go vegetarian for the whole meal, much easier.

For me, I wouldn't be bothered about other people toasting/drinking around me.

The ingredients are fine, I'd just suggest putting a cover on the tray (foil?) before cooking the pizza. I'd keep the packaging as well to show that it is halal salami. I had an awful experience when I was little where a friends mother tried to get me to eat something saying it was fine and later reading that it was pork.

Other than that it sounds like you are set for a nice evening.

Depends how strict she is. I can't cook anything for my friend in the oven or grill as it's been used to cook pork etc. Some Muslims eat pork and drink alcohol - just check with her first.

Don't do the pig. So porky sausage shaped thing that looks like porky salami and is called salami. would just lead to awkwardness. Why not a 5 cheese pizza or anchovies and black olives pizza. Or any other variety that avoids pig

Why would they call something halal salami??? Salami is pork. If it's not pork its not salami is it. Sounds very american, like turdurken and all that other crap they have over there.

I know muslim people who are very happy to eat eg chicken frankfurters and beef sausages, so why not salami? Why do vegetarians eat veggie sausages and vegeburgers?

Re alcohol, my dad was brought up muslim and when he took me and DD out for lunch the other weekend he had two whiskeys, two glasses of wine and an Irish coffee. And he practically forced me to have two glasses of wine so I had to have a little lie down when I got home.

DH wouldn't eat halal versions of non-halal foods like sausage/bacon, which I think is more common among asian muslims. There are tonnes of halal sausages/salami/bacon products in the arab world and all my iraqi/iranian friends buy these. I would be tempted to go veggie/marguerita pizza.

I am far more uncomfortable around alcohol and wouldn't want to partake in a toast. Maybe just ask, I would be so grateful that someone had thought of it and offered me and opt out clause.

But surely if you could see the host was going all out to accommodate you littleducks, you'd raise a glass of apple juice to the Birthday person?

There has to be some give and take in these situations.

Line the baking tray with tinfoil?

So, salami is bought and I tasted a little. Ironically, it tastes like Spam! A new tray has been bought and reserved for the Halal pizza. The chap in the shop thought I was very fussy as I queried the Halal status of absolutely every item I bought and wouldn't buy the sweets I wanted for my friend's daughter who is also coming to the party as they were not marked as Halal although he claimed they were.

Thanks for all your advice.

(which you mainly did not take...)

Perhaps not, Scrablet, but it is still polite to thank them for their help and for taking the time to show an interest in helping someone plan food they won't be eating at a party they won't be attending. Or should I not bother to thank people who give me their time?

You need to know the degree of observance that your friends practice. My Muslim friends range from eating anything (including stuff with pork in it if she wants it) to avoiding non halal meet / alcohol in food to keep strict halal.

The friend no. 3 doesn't like eating at my non halal house (or non halal restaurants = a pain in the ass). The other two don't have a problem and I just use my usual pots/ pans etc. I occasionally buy halal meat for friend no. 2 but would have to tell her explicitly that this was the case as otherwise she would assume that she couldn't eat it.

None of them drink (no. 1 used to) and all are happy to have alcohol consumed around them. Both 1&2 would serve alcohol to non muslim guests if they were entertaining. No. 3 had a dry wedding (with an epic 2 hour long drinks reception which was v. challenging as I obv. rely on the social lubricant of champagne far more than I realised!).

Can't really understand why you wouldn't just put a label by the pizza saying that it was halal for anyone interested. Then you've also covered the non-muslims who (like me) would hate to discover they had eaten halal meat by accident. That way everyone's happy and you haven't singled anyone out.

worra- I was talking about me personally and tbf I probably wouldn't attend the party if there was going to be alcohol at all. I'm struggling at the moment with an invite to a London Zoo open late night, as I can't figure out if it is a 'zoo' trip or everyone will be drinking/partying just at the zoo.

I don't know strict/relaxed the friend is so don't know how she would feel. The reason behind it is that I believe that the ruling is you shouldn't be at a table with people drinking (and clinking glasses to me is very much going against that). I wouldn't require special pizzas etc. and would eat veggie stuff cooked in an oven that cooked non halal meat .I would either eat veggie options or discreetly not eat. The alcohol is the big no no to me obviously other people interpret it differently.

Really? MrsMicawber, I wasn't aware of that. I don't know any muslims who eat kosher (though only admittedly know a 'minority' ) we only eat halal slaughtered where someone has said 'bismillah' at the time, which obv doesn't happen in kosher, although the otherwise the technique is similar/the same.

That's really interesting! I thought the east end was due to cheap housing traditionally accessed by immigrants . Never lived near there, my MIL remembers back in the 60s it being hard to get halal meat and travelling to farms to slaughter it......dunno if that's allowed anymore!!!

We aren't allowed to eat kosher, has to be halal or veggie. I didn't realise that lots of people interpretated differently.

(bismillah is in the name of Allah btw)