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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To serve these foods to muslim friends

603 replies

MissMildred · 04/08/2018 19:03

Hi - posting here for traffic but also because I don't want to BU. I invited some new school friends and their parents for a bbq in a couple of weeks and two of the families are muslim and mentioned they only eat halal.
I want to make an effort to make them feel comfortable, and it has also been very interesting learning all about what is halal or haram. Obviously no pork will be served. However, some of the guidance on the internet is not clear, so I wondered if anyone with this diet could help me with these items and whether it would BU to serve them up:

Vinegar - if I served this in eg. a coleslaw, are all types of vinegar fine? (Eg is the vinegar not seen as alcohol anymore?)
Butter - Am I overthinking this? Would you eat butter?
Alcohol - I know you wouldn't drink this, but is it acceptable for others in the group to be drinking a glass of wine?
Halloumi - I can't figure out if this is okay or not.

Also - any tips you might have would be great, especially if there are brands of crisps, bread, butter etc....you might use.

Thank you!

OP posts:
YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 14:26

your entire argument depends on the two wrongs make a right fallacy

How?

SavvySaver24 · 05/08/2018 14:27

Badteacher you totally ignored the second part of my post "and BELITTLE the views of others". Both are as valid but for SOME reason only one set is taken seriously!!

commonarewe · 05/08/2018 14:28

It's incredible that you don't realize how easily your questions can be flipped:

Could someone who wants halal identify a halal piece of meat from a non halal piece of meat? [Answer: no]

Does it personally affect someone who wants halal beyond the fact they don’t like an absence of faith in their food preparation ? [Answer: no]

I want equality of treatment between those of all faiths and none, with options available for all. Not a single way that all are compelled to accept regardless of their equally-valid personal views.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 14:28

Badteacher you totally ignored the second part of my post "and BELITTLE the views of others"

So what ARE your views? Why are you so opposed to it?

SavvySaver24 · 05/08/2018 14:29

Could you identify a halal piece of meat from a non halal piece of meat? (Pork aside obviously!

And ditto that EXACT question to a muslim. My PERSONAL BELIEFS to NOT want to eat halal meat are absolubtely as valid as their beliefs not to eat non halal. What about that do you not get!?!? Essentially you are saying only one set of peoples beliefs is vaild here.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 14:30

Could someone who wants halal identify a halal piece of meat from a non halal piece of meat? [Answer: no]

I'm willing to bet a lot of the "would never eat it" brigade quite happily tuck into it when having a late night after pub kebab and chips or whatever as lots of takeways are halal.
They always seem to do well!

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 14:31

Could you identify a halal piece of meat from a non halal piece of meat? (Pork aside obviously!

And ditto that EXACT question to a muslim.

But it means something to them. Are you religious?

SavvySaver24 · 05/08/2018 14:33

Rainbosandsmilies, would never eat a kebab or a takeaway. Don't assume that people who are in what you call the "won't eat brigade" aren't fully aware of what they eat. I personally get my meat from our local butcher and know FULL WELL where it has come from and that it hasn't had any sort of rituals bestowed upon it.

commonarewe · 05/08/2018 14:34

But it means something to them. Are you religious?

Being non-religious is just as valid as being religious. How much more simply do you want this self-evident truth expressed?

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 14:36

Fair enough, you only eat meat from your local butcher, that's fine, up to you, sounds sensible.
WHY are you so against halal meat though? You don't seem to be able to say apart from "cos I don't want to."
Nobody's forcing you to eat it. Surely you'd eat veggie at the BBQ or take some of your local produce along for them to cook alongside the halal in that case.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 14:38

Being non-religious is just as valid as being religious. How much more simply do you want this self-evident truth expressed?

Of course it is just as valid. Never said it wasn't. Just if you're non religious, why does it matter to you so much?
They could play what they like to it as far as I'm concerned as if you're non religious the words mean nothing to you, surely? Whereas it does to them.

BitchQueen90 · 05/08/2018 14:39

I think religion is a load of shite and have absolutely no objection to eating halal meat. It's not "having religion shoved down your throat" fgs, it's a piece of meat. If you're an atheist then you don't believe any of it anyway so what on earth does it matter?

Having religion "shoved down your throat" is when somebody is trying to force you into following their beliefs. Not a piece of chicken that somebody has said a few words to. Hmm

JacquesHammer · 05/08/2018 14:41

It's not "having religion shoved down your throat" fgs, it's a piece of meat

Well I suppose it depends on how it’s served Wink

DiegoMadonna · 05/08/2018 14:42

I understand what commonarewe is asking.

She's positing that if two people are coming to your barbecue and one says

"I will only eat halal meat because of my personal belief, which is important to me"

while the other says,

"I will only eat non-halal meat because of my personal belief, which is important to me"

one is more likely to be accepted than the other. And so she is asking why? Is a stupid belief more acceptable if a few hundred million people have the same stupid belief?

CherryPavlova · 05/08/2018 14:43

If I have people coming for supper I would always ask them directly about food preferences regardless of whether it was religious preferences, allergies or just plain fussiness. Email them and ask whether there is anything they don’t eat and say you want to make sure everyone feels comfortable with the menu.

BertrandRussell · 05/08/2018 14:45

Has anyone been able to explain not wanting to eat hahal meat in a non racist way yet?

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 14:47

Just if you're non religious, why does it matter to you so much?

This.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 14:47

She's positing that if two people are coming to your barbecue and one says "I will only eat halal meat because of my personal belief, which is important to me" while the other says,"I will only eat non-halal meat because of my personal belief, which is important to me"one is more likely to be accepted than the other. And so she is asking why?

because one's religious, so they have a reason. I might think it's a load of rubbish, but it's their religion.

what IS the other reason?! Nobody seems to be able to answer. Killing an animal to eat is cruel whichever way you look at it, they don't do it cruel one way and then sing fluffy bunny wabbit lullabies to the other lot before putting them to sleep in a fluffy bunny wabbit nursery cot or something.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 14:47

Has anyone been able to explain not wanting to eat hahal meat in a non racist way yet?

The short answer is no.

commonarewe · 05/08/2018 14:48

DiegoMadonna

Thank you! At last someone understands that I want equal treatment and no double standards when it comes to the acceptance of personal beliefs. At no point have I claimed that those with different beliefs to mine should not have theirs accommodated - I just want the same respect to be granted to all.

commonarewe · 05/08/2018 14:49

Has anyone been able to explain not wanting to eat hahal meat in a non racist way yet?

Still calling the Sikhs racist then?

derxa · 05/08/2018 14:49

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/08/what-does-halal-method-animal-slaughter-involve
A clear article from the Guardian.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 14:50

She's positing that if two people are coming to your barbecue and one says "I will only eat halal meat because of my personal belief, which is important to me" while the other says,"I will only eat non-halal meat because of my personal belief, which is important to me"one is more likely to be accepted than the other.

For the hundredth time, the right to practice religion is protected in law. The right to try to prevent that because you don’t believe in said religion is not.

If someone came to me and said they had religious reasons for eating non halal meat, I would accommodate them as a guest. If someone told me they didn’t eat halal meat because it’s Muslim and they’re not they could sort their own tea.

It’s already been shown repeatedly that the animal welfare concerns are invalid because all slaughter causes suffering and halal is no worse than other methods, so the only other reason is a dislike of the Muslim faith being mainstream.

DiegoMadonna · 05/08/2018 14:50

because one's religious, so they have a reason. I might think it's a load of rubbish, but it's their religion

But why is their rubbish reason more acceptable just because it's religious?

derxa · 05/08/2018 14:51

Has anyone been able to explain not wanting to eat hahal meat in a non racist way yet? See my link above.

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