Muslim Woman Slams Minnesota Muslims For Demanding Halal Food At Food Banks

A 25-year-old Atlanta Bosnian Muslim has slammed a Somali refugee organization for demanding food banks supply halal foods, and her Facebook Post has gone viral.

Emina Dedic, a refugee from the Bosnian war some 20 years ago, is incensed that Isuroon, a Somali women's group, is taking advantage of the charity and kindness of a "mostly Christian nation." In fact, she insinuates that what they are demanding and doing is un-Islamic.

Arriving in this country when she was a toddler, Emina's family struggled but her parents worked hard to integrate. They learned English through "Hooked On Phonics"  while both parents got jobs- her mum at a fast food joint, her dad working two jobs to make ends meet. He walked, since they could not afford a car, and no food stamps, although she did avail herself of the reduced-price school lunch programme. Regarding halal:

 “When we couldn't afford halal foods, we simply wouldn't buy lamb or would eat what we could with the budget we had,” she told International Business Times.

Apparently, there are 77,000 or so Somali people in Minnesota, the bulk of them refugees, who were resettled by Christian organizations like Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services.

The response from Isuroon's executive director- Fartun Weli- to Dedic's "smackdown."

“The ‘viral’ writer is somewhat misinformed in that our community is not asking for additional food stamps from the county, nor are we asking for additional funding/taxes from the state or county,” Weli wrote in an email to IBTimes about Dedic’s Facebook post. She says the Somali community in Minnesota contributes $223 million to the state’s economy. A 2006 study found Somalis in Minnesota account for $164 million in buying power and own 600 businesses. “We aren't asking for handouts,” Weli said. “Most Somalis work hard so we asked some of our tax money to come back to our community so we can take care of our own while we keep continuing to do better.”

If they are doing so well, as Dedic posits, why aren't they taking care of their own? Why can't business owners and mosques supply halal foods to those food banks.

Prior to the viral post, Isuroon led a rally to demand that the county reallocate funds for halal food. That would cost $150,000 to get it going, according to Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County commissioner. Weli complained that:

“Some food shelves are trying to meet the need, but some of them already got canned beans that have already been mixed with pork -- and there is a literacy issue here.” 

Literacy. Hmm.  Why isn't Isuroon worrying more about educating and teaching Somali people English and how to integrate, than bitching about not enough Halal food in local food pantries.

Dedic, of course, is a conservative.

Story here.

No Halal For Hong Kong McDonald's, KFC or Pizza Hut

There will be no halal in Hong Kong outlets of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), MacDonald's or Pizza Hut in spite of some heavy duty lobbying by Hong Kong's Mufti Muhammad Arshad.

Arshad said he sent letters to the fast-food chains, but McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut all said that they had no plans to introduce halal meat in their outlets. But Arshad said it would be only a matter of time before they signed up, as McDonald's and KFC served halal food in other Asian markets, such as Singapore.

Halal certification of restaurants began in Singapore in the mid-1990s. Singaporean food blogger Daniel Ang says that the likes of Le Steak, a new halal steakhouse in the Jalan Kayu district, has been "packing the crowds in" at the weekends. In Hong Kong there are already halal outlets at Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park.

"It's disappointing that we could not convince the companies," Arshad said. "It doesn't have to be Hong Kong-wide. In the main areas, like Central, Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui, the New Territories and at the airport, it would be a great service. The companies have to realise there is a need for this and that it is good business for them."

With a population of about 7 million people, 250,000 or so are Muslim.

Arshad is right. They probably will eventually cave, for the bottom line.

Read the rest here.

Halal Invades Australia

Halal certification has become big business in Australia. In fact it's made the man in the video below  very rich. But some people are very upset some products do not list that they are halal certified when in actuality they are. So, one Australian woman is fighting back. She created a website Halal Choices which includes a list of products that are halal including a graphic video of what happens during halal  slaughter.

COSTCO Goes Halal

COSTCO is now offering an halal family-sized portion of Chicken Tikka Masala to some West Coast stores. I suppose if they have Kosher foods they are going to cater to the demands of the Muslim population. When they start demanding all meats be halal, then that's a huge problem. But interesting to note the changes in the religious demographics of the U.S. population.

Saffron Road, the packaged food brand of Stamford, Conn.-based American Halal Co., is now shipping a family-sized portion of Chicken Tikka Masala to select Costco stores on the West Coast. The deal is the first with Costco. The new Chicken Tikka Masala family portion is ideal for families who want to enjoy authentic Indian cuisine at home, that are easy to make, the company said.

“Our Muslim consumers have expressed their desire to see family sized portions of our Halal Certified meals, and we’re happy to provide this new meal option the whole family can enjoy,” said Saffron Road Chief Executive Officer Adnan Durrani.

Consumers can find the new item now at select Costco stores in the freezer aisle for the suggested retail price of $10.99 each. All Saffron Road products are Halal Certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America. Halal is an Islamic tradition that has healthfully fed literally billions of people over the last 1,400 years. Halal promotes the sacred tradition of respect for the land, fair treatment for farmers, humane treatment of livestock and clean, healthy food to eat.

Saffron Road’s All Natural Certified Halal entree uses chicken that is Certified Humane by Humane Farm Animal Care. All of Saffron Road’s livestock are fed 100 percent vegetarian feed and are never given Antibiotics or Hormones.

“We are excited to now have our brand in Costco stores,” said Saffron Road Executive Vice President Jack Acree. “We know that a lot of our consumers seeking Halal options are shopping at Costco stores already, and are often looking for authentic meal options for the entire family.”

H/T Creeping Sharia