Why Can’t You Say Pig in Abu Dhabi?

The world has a beautiful mix of religions and cultures, which is what globalization is heading us towards.

Although, amidst all these, there are several countries where you can find people following the core principles and teachings of their religion in a very disciplined manner.
One such country is indeed the UAE, where people are devoted to Islam and are preserving their traditional knowledge and culture to this day.

It is natural for the traditional knowledge and culture of a religion or country to reflect in the eating habits and food choices.

One such food choice, which is considered inauspicious in Islam is pork or the meat of a pig.

In this article, we would discuss why you cannot eat pig in Abu Dhabi and also why saying pig is considered offensive here.

History of Abu Dhabi and UAE

One of the most popular Emirates, Abu Dhabi is a beautiful city situated on the island near the Persian Gulf that has come out as an example of modern infrastructure and design in the UAE.

The history of Abu Dhabi cannot be traced beyond the mid-18th Century as there is no reliable evidence or records to suggest that people lived in this region.

Around the 18th century, we find mention of some tribes in the region, which further led to a civil settlement area that flourished well through trade and commerce.

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Abu Dhabi was one of the most important cities after Dubai in the middle east and remains so even today.

Perhaps the biggest reasons for Abu Dhabi’s rapid development around the 20th century can be largely contributed to the oil fields found in this emirate.

This led to Abu Dhabi becoming one of the richest and most powerful regions of the middle east, leaving a major scope for urban development and planning.

However, even after the development, Abu Dhabi, being part of the UAE has not forgotten its culture and roots. Thus, strictly observing the principles and teachings of Islam.

What Foods Muslims Can’t Eat?

In Islam, there is a strict code of conduct when it comes to certain practices, including the month of Ramadan, Hajj, how to offer namaz, etc.

Another of the most important code of conduct is regarding food and dietary choices. It is well known that certain foods in Islam are not allowed.

Even the foods that are allowed, are so in the form of Halal. Halal foods include eggs, fruits, and vegetable meat. The meat coming from any animal must be halal, the animal must be slaughtered as per the Islamic rituals.

The three categories of food in Islam include Halal (which is allowed), Haram (which should not be eaten), and Makruh (which has to be avoided).

The Halal food is slaughtered with a sharp knife and the animal is fed well before it is butchered. It occurs in private and is done with the help of a cut in the vein of its neck.

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Haram food includes the food mentioned in Quran as such. It includes pork, dog meat, cat meat, or meat from any of the haram animals.

The Makruh includes impure food which mostly contains seafood or stale food, which is not freshly prepared.

What is Pig Called in Islam?

Pig, one of the Haram food items, is strictly prohibited to be consumed. It is also known as Khanzir.

Thus, it is believed that eating a pig for a Muslim is an unfaithful activity, in which he must not indulge.

The activities associated with an eating pig – including selling or buying its meat are also considered to be haram in Islam.

Let us now see why you cannot say pig in Abu Dhabi.

Why Can’t You Say Pig in Abu Dhabi?

Since pork is forbidden in Islam, so it is considered to be a taboo food. Taboo food is the category of food that is considered to be inauspicious in different religions and cultures.

The United Arab Emirates, being an Islamic nation, strictly observes the ideas and principles of Islam, which is why the code of conduct mentioned in the Quran and Sunnat is observed here to a large extent.

The source of this information is believed to be given in the Quran, wherein it is mentioned as a list of items that are okay to eat and the items which are strictly not allowed to be eaten.

Thus, it is obvious that eating a pig is not allowed in Islam, and hence it is also not allowed in Abu Dhabi.

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Abu Dhabi is not an exclusively religious city or the epicenter of Islam, but since it has a long history of being an Emirate and also has the greatest number of people following the Islamic faith, this principle is observed here.

The reason why even saying pig in Abu Dhabi has considered a bad practice is that it is offensive to many people.

If a food is considered inauspicious and is not eaten because of religious reasons, it is obvious that even taking its name can be frowned upon seriously.

Is Pork Allowed in Abu Dhabi?

UAE, being an international destination for many tourists and businesses has a different lifestyle than most countries in the world.

This is why even the foods that are prohibited in Islam can be bought or sold here by non-Muslims under a license to do so.

There are very few licensed shops in Abu Dhabi that allow the sale of pork only for non-Muslims. Otherwise, there is strict regulatory enforcement on the import of pork products in the UAE.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed at length the practices of Islam when it comes to food choices and dietary regulations.

The UAE being an Islamic nation, strictly observes that the teachings and learnings of Islam are applied to the core.

This is why we saw in this article that eating pigs is not allowed in Islam and is considered Haram. Additionally, we saw some other kinds of food that are considered inauspicious and the reason for the same.

 

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