Halaal and choice

Editor | Wednesday November 5, 2008 00:00

Big grocers have been insisting on being supplied with halaal meat and meat products. And the tendency has been that the bigger the business, the firmer the insistence, with most chain stores priding themselves in being exclusively halaal.

But halaal - the method of slaughtering animals under the oversight of imams that also involves the draining of blood from the carcass - comes at a cost. As we understand it, imams charge a fee - currently P1.50 for a fowl, for instance - for the service.

That being so, perhaps of greater concern is that halaal is a tenet of Islamic law that has been imposed in a liberal democracy that professes basic freedoms and frowns upon any form of discrimination. This includes freedom of worship and religious tolerance as espoused in the Constitution of the Republic that affirms Botswana as a secular state!
There is no problem in devout Muslims ensuring that the food they eat conforms to their religious standards but everything wrong - and unconstitutional - with the imposition of this on the rest of society. It reeks of a superiority complex by an identifiable community in a plural society, especially when viewed alongside the fact that Islam is a minority religion many of whose adherents are predominant in commerce, including the grocery business.

We smell not only the aroma of halaal braai here but also the possibility that religion is being used as a means of limiting competition and raking in profits. This would make it odious and insidious as Prophet Mohammed was so opposed to any form of cheating that he outlawed usury - even what is ordinarily considered reasonable interest - for his followers.

As we understand it, justification for this prejudiced practice has been that halaal is not harmful to anyone, which is true enough. Afterall, we have had eating halaal food for so long. Even so, this does not obviate the lack of choice that has come with the imposition of halaal. And consumer choice, as we all agree, is the centrepiece of the so-called free market system that we profess to cherish.

In that regard, we agree with President Khama that henceforward, there should be halaal and non-halaal sections in grocery stores, especially the big supermarkets.

                                              Today's Thought
Tolerance always has limits. It cannot tolerate what is itself actively intolerant.

                                               - Sidney Hook