To serve these foods to muslim friends

[MissMildred]

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!

I don't eat meat but I would never have bought halal or kosher meat. It is cruel. And yes I have read up it. For those quick to tout the racist card - there is a difference.

As point of interest, if any of your friends are Sikhs, I believe they are forbidden to have ritually slaughtered meat.

You're very accommodating!

Most BBQs I've been to have been burgers, sausages, buns, soft drinks, salads and sides provided but alcohol and any special requirements you bring yourself.

I don't eat red meat so I've always just had drinks (nobody notices at BBQs) or taken my own chicken. I can't imagine anyone with an unusual diet minding doing something like that. There's no way I'd expect to be catered for.

People objecting to halal meat on “welfare” grounds either don’t understand the process within the UK or are the kind of person who thinks Tommy Robinson is misunderstood

Offensive bullshit. Halal meat in the UK is NOT all stunned prior to slaughter and it is great to know that you think that the RSPCA, FAWC, and the BVA are all Tommy Robinson supporters.

What a cretinous level of debate.

Most meat served in restaurants in the U.K. is halal. Most meat sold by supermarkets in the U.K. Is halal. Sorry if that's a surprise to anyone.

That is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. the Farm Animal Welfare Council and the British Veterinary Association.

Well known fascists all.

Saying not wanting to eat halal meat is racist is moronic.... I have valid reasons for not wanting to eat it as outlined in a previous post as do many others.

As an aside I doubt any muslim famalies would be accomodating enough to serve non halal meat.

Honestly, with one exception a good, ethical vegan mate people I've met who refuse to eat halal meat on welfare grounds are hard of thinking. So stunned halal/ schehichta meat is bad whist stunned non-halal/ schehichta meat is ok?? Righty ho, then.

Oh and I hope all the halalphobes were busy avoiding chicken in the 1990s and 2000s when it was commoner than now to hang poultry by legs and pass them through an electrified pool....

Most meat served in restaurants in the U.K. is halal. Most meat sold by supermarkets in the U.K. Is halal. Sorry if that's a surprise to anyone

Yep, all the takeaways round here are. Most places are. I'm not giving my takeaways up.

All halal meat sold in supermarkets and restaurants is pre stunned. You have to go to specific halal butchers to buy unstunned meat. But why let the facts get in the way of a good story.

If people wish to eat meat (I don't but that does not stop me arguing for meat produced with as little cruelty as possible) then they have a right to campaign for animals to have better lives and deaths. An end to barbaric ritual slaughter is part of that as well as improving the shocking living conditions of our farm animals.

As a nation we should be very ashamed that the consumer drive for cheaper and cheaper meat means that profit margins are so tiny that animals must suffer day in and day out.

At the very least supermarkets should label halal/kosher meat so that it can be avoided. It would be a start.

Chicken slaughter has always been an utter disgrace and remains so.

Oh and OP - serve them veggie food.

If you care about animal suffering, go vegan. Non-halal slaughter is equally grim.

www.secularism.org.uk/news/2018/01/unstunned-meat-widespread-in-uk-supermarkets-nss-research-reveals

Looks like M&S are the only supermarket that does NOT sell unstunned meat. At least there is one.

Bertrand you are wrong - I wish you were right.

As an aside I doubt any muslim famalies would be accomodating enough to serve non halal meat

Aside from your generalisation (which I’m fairly sure is without any kind of research or basis in fact), why would they?

As PPs have said, most meat in big supermarkets is halal, and it makes no difference to the quality or taste of the meat so why would they serve non halal meat? Would you know the difference?

As an aside I doubt any muslim famalies would be accomodating enough to serve non halal meat
Why should they? Killed meat is killed meat. If it means they need halal meat for their religious beliefs, but you (general you) don't have any religious beliefs, why should they serve non halal?
Eat vegetarian for once.

*If people wish to eat meat (I don't but that does not stop me arguing for meat produced with as little cruelty as possible) then they have a right to campaign for animals to have better lives and deaths. An end to barbaric ritual slaughter is part of that as well as improving the shocking living conditions of our farm animals.

As a nation we should be very ashamed that the consumer drive for cheaper and cheaper meat means that profit margins are so tiny that animals must suffer day in and day out. *

Entirely agree, starcrossed

Tesco sell stunned halal meat, and apparently most Nando’s are halal too.

Muslim here. Vinegar is fine, butter is fine, I don't think most people would mind if other people were drinking, just as long as something was available for them. Halloumi should be fine. If in doubt, just go for vegetarian options.

Have a lovely BBQ!

I've not read the whole thread, but I'd just ask them. I'm sure they're wouldn't be the least bit offended and would be pleased that you're being considerate of their religious views.

Greggs, KFC, Subway, Costa, Slug and Lettuce, Harvester, Zizzi and Pizza Express too.

It's very simple.
Halal meat, but do make sure, it's nit cooked on same part of grill as pork or non halal. Nice "wall of veg" is a great way to ensure that.
Vinegar is fine (though for example czech one has 8% alcohol, so that's a no go).
Hallumi is great!
Butter etc is fine.
Fish, great!

Basically haram is alcohol, non halal meat (due to blood as well as the lack of prayer)

You can make nice beef skewers. Or chicken. They are easy to handle so they wouldn't get contaminated by pork and they look awesome
Fish is ok.

Yes, other guests are fine drinking alcohol. And tbh if someone would have a problem with it, that's their issue.

Don't stress too much. They will surely forgive little things if anything😉 You are just learning about this after all.

Enjoy your bbq!

starcrossed I think I've been very naive. I thought as long as I went free range animals/chicken were treated ok. I suppose I'm so wary of reading grim detail that I haven't read up. I am vegetarian but my children aren't.

Sounds like you're being a good host OP. Hope it goes well.

What kind of Muslim? Some refuse to be in the presence of drinking but many drink (even the ones who only eat halal meat). Halal generally just means not haram but many Muslims use halal just to mean halal meat. You are going to have to ask them I am afraid.

I would be absolutely fine with Halal meat as long as it had been stunned first.

I would have real issues with eating the meat if you were either unsure it had been stunned first or knew it hadn’t, so maybe a good idea just to check with your Halal butcher first.

Could you speak to your friends directly just in case they are very strict?
They might be planning to bring their own food so if they know you are making sure it’s all ok for them to eat and there is no contamination they may feel more comfortable and confident to leave all the catering in your hands?