
Slices of bacon being left outside Muslim centres of worship is a really weird way to express your Islamophobia.
In January, one man was jailed for being part of a group that tied bags of bacon to the doors of a Mosque in Bristol, and this regrettably won't be the last time something so pointless is attempted.
Literally the word halal means 'permissible', in that it is food allowed by Islamic law. Halal is also a method of killing the foods that is sanctioned by passages of Muslim holy texts.
Pork is not a halal food. As such, Islamophobes think it is hilarious to attack Muslims with slices of the meat.
The ‘Let's leave bacon outside the Mosque’ strategy seems to confused a dietary rule for an allergy.
Muslims are not vampires who are repelled by foods which are not halal.
Similarly, Orthodox Jews don't come out in hives if the milk and the meat touch on a plate, and Hindus don't get a rash if you slaughter a cow.
That being said, Christians and most English people will kick off if a canteen doesn't do 'Fishy Fridays'.
Donut (Loop) Holes
Capitalising on the stupidity of Islamophobes, Muslims have been putting it out on Twitter that donuts are not halal.
Someone needs to start a rumor that Muslims are not allowed to eat donuts. Next day: donuts hanging on mosque doors! YASSS...— Abdul Mufeez Shaheed (@Abdul Mufeez Shaheed) 1451484385
Donuts are halal.
The joke has come back multiple times in recent years, usually following incidents of bacon and pork being left outside Mosques.
Look everyone knows donuts are haram. I can't stress this enough. MUSLIMS CANNOT EAT DONUTS.— Boosted Little Hobbit (@Boosted Little Hobbit) 1451884799
Doing this for my friend... Donuts are haram for Muslims, so send them to the mosques for your revenge. Please. <3— Alaina, Al, Ally, Lainy (@Alaina, Al, Ally, Lainy) 1451637063
Donuts. Muslims are offended by Donuts! That's our Kryptonite ☠️ https://t.co/fmeS45xIkG— المُغرِّد بأمر الله (@المُغرِّد بأمر الله) 1499808235
Also, I have long believed we Muslims should spread rumours that we think donuts are haram so that we get attacked… https://t.co/I6jMDbID7f— Mehdi Hasan (@Mehdi Hasan) 1498840336
Not everyone is in on the joke.
In December 2016, the satirical Facebook page ‘Mordor First’ shared this image.
In addition to the lie that the donuts were being handed out in school, the writing wasn’t any kind of language used by Muslims.
It was elvish. From Lord of the Rings.
Some people took it seriously enough, that professional debunkers Snopes.com had to explain it wasn’t real.
‘Halal certified’ donuts do exist
Some food companies have taken to labelling their foods which are halal. As this means ‘permissible’, it’s meant a huge proportion of projects have the label.
Since 2012 donut makers Krispy Crème sell ‘Halal certified’ donuts. On the same ingredients page of their website, the donut makers state they are also Kosher (though not Kosher certified) and suitable for vegetarians.
The only reasons a donut might not be halal, would be if it contained gelatin (which is pork based), whey (a protein which can contain pork), or used a glazing that contained alcohol.
All of these ingredients are non-essential and avoidable.
So maybe it’s not a stupid idea after all for bigots to send them to Muslims.
No. It is.
HT BBC, Bristol Post