Islamic Vegetarianism: "And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire."

The verse quoted above is taken from the Qur'an, Surah 56:21 referring to the eating of meat for the righteous in heaven. Such a verse, as well as the fuss over Halal meat, and the sacrificing of animals on the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha, may make it seem  near enough impossible for a person  to be Muslim and vegetarian at the same time.

But they do exist. Richard C. Foltz, author of Animals in Islamic Tradition and Muslim Cultures argues that Islamic Vegetarianism is on the rise, especially through the use of the internet.

But what Islamic reasons can a Muslim give for being vegetarian?

Health

Muslim vegetarians argue that their choice of diet  is much healthier than a non-vegetarian diet.

The website IslamVeg, which also contains links to a free vegetarian starter kit; has a section on why vegetarianism leads to better state of health, not only for humans, but for the environment too.

Such reasons could be deemed "Islamic" as in Islam, Muslims are commanded to look after what God has created, including the human body but also the greater natural world. (See my previous post on Animals in Islam.)

IslamVeg also utilises  fatwas from prominent Islamic scholars sanctioning the permissibility of a vegetarian diet, who refer to Islamic sayings such as, "meat can be just as addictive as wine."

Halal or Haram?

Islamic vegetarianism is further promoted, with the argument concerning the current state of factory farming. Muslim vegetarians point out that Halal meat is not just about whether the animal was slaughtered the right way, but also whether the animal was raised the right way and had a decent standard of living.

The horrors of factory farming; feeding animals to animals, battery cages and the mutilation of beaks and claws are seen as being contrary to the Islamic spirit. Animals slaughtered under these conditions can never be considered as Halal, but as totally Haram; or forbidden, vegetarians argue.

It seems that this argument holds much more sway over Muslims than any other, as the following quote from a member of an Islamic discussion forum, SunniForum, shows:

"I have nightmares about being faced by a field of chickens with their beaks clipped off on the day of judgement, testifying that I couldn't spend $1 more on truly free range eggs, but instead forced them to live their entire lives in cages where they could not even lift their wings, and had their beaks chopped off because they were driven insane by their surroundings...."

And as this video discusses:



Opposition

Islamic vegetarianism has benefited from much more presence in the public sphere,  such as the pro-Vegetarian demonstration by the Jordanian "Lettuce Lady"; but, the opportunity for meat-eating Muslims to have their say is also available, leading to the existence of a strong debate between the two groups.  

There are numerous blogs, online fatwas and discussion board messages dedicated to the debate.

The meat-eating Muslim majority oppose vegetarianism because:

• There is an Islamic injunction, stating that you cannot make something prohibited which God has allowed.
• It is clear from the Qur'an that humans are allowed to eat meat.
• The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ate meat himself.

Muslim vegetarians cannot say that they think killing animals for food is cruel, meat-eaters respond by stating that God has permitted meat-eating and God can never be described as cruel. He is for Muslims, "The Merciful, The Compassionate."

Other reasons are given here:

Conclusion
The internet, as always is a key tool used for propagating unorthodox religious messages and whilst meat-eating Muslims may dismiss the claims of Muslims vegetarians as a load of 'hippy nonsense',  it is clear that most Muslim vegetarians, just like their Christian counterparts seek to find justifications for their vegetarianism within their religion, not outside of it.