EFFFECT of ISLAMIC CULTURE and RELIGION on CONSUMPTION of HALAL FOOD AMONG YOUNGER GENERATION of PAKISTAN Sharmeen Jawaid Student Bahria University, Karachi
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Asian Social Sciences Review Vol 1, Issue 1 (2020) Effect of Islamic Culture…. EFFFECT OF ISLAMIC CULTURE AND RELIGION ON CONSUMPTION OF HALAL FOOD AMONG YOUNGER GENERATION OF PAKISTAN Sharmeen Jawaid Student Bahria University, Karachi Wajiha Farooq Student Bahria University, Karachi Rafia Alkasiri Student Bahria University, Karachi 65 Asian Social Sciences Review Vol 1, Issue 1 (2020) Effect of Islamic Culture…. ABSTRACT Food plays a very significant role in every culture and religion. For Muslims the concept of halal and haram is defined with a very fine line, it also plays an important part in defining the food culture of Muslim countries. The research focuses on the halal and haram eating patterns among the Pakistani Muslim youth and how the food consuming patterns evolved and the factors related to food preservation in Pakistani Society. Quantitative research was conducted and the data was analyzed using numerical comparisons and statistical inference. Forty (40) people of age from eighteen to Thirty (18 to 30) years were approached through an online portal where they filled the survey form that was designed by the researchers. The research finding shows that (1) there is a positive correlation between Islamic religious background and the importance of halal food consumption among the people (2) the Islamic Law and culture induces a social pressure on the buying decisions of the people in the society. The overall results show that the younger generation of Pakistan still strictly follows their Islamic religion and cultural values and their parents have successfully preserved this culture among them. The research contributes to the research literature and to understand the changes that have been caused in Pakistani society in regards to food consumption and the concept of halal and haram. Keywords: Food consumption, halal food, haram food, anthropology, culture, religion, generations, Muslims, Islamic Society 1. INTRODUCTION 66 Asian Social Sciences Review Vol 1, Issue 1 (2020) Effect of Islamic Culture…. 1.1 Background of the Research Humans around the world have different preferences when it comes to food consumption. Consumers belonging to different ethnicities and religious groups favor different food types such as Kosher, vegetarian or halal food. Muslims all around the globe consume Halal food as part of their Islamic dietary teachings. These are the foods allowed or sanctioned within the Islamic faith (Milne, 2006). Bonne and Verbeke (2008) explained the importance of halal food to Muslim consumers indicating that eating behavior is an integral part of human behavior and characteristics related to a way of life. In Islam, for Muslims, food consumption plays a very important role in the completion of a pillar of faith such as fasting, pilgrimage, and almsgiving. The concept of Halal and Haram food within the Islamic faith comes from the teachings of the Qur’an, Hadith of Prophet MOHAMMAD (P.B.U.H), and Sunnah. These three altogether provide complete knowledge and direction about what kind of foods are prohibited (HARAM) in Islam and the ones that are fully allowed to be consumed by Muslims. As provided by Prophet in his hadith: The lawful (Halal) is clear and the unlawful (Haram) is clear and between those are the matters that are doubtful (not clear); many of the people do not know whether it is lawful or unlawful. So whoever leaves it to protect his religion and his honor, then he will be safe. This concept of Halal and Haram is rooted in Muslims and has been carried out to the present age as a preserved cultural factor. Even though the Muslims of the sub-continent had very huge cultural variations with Hindus but they still tried their best to preserve this Halal concept of food as an integral part of both their religion and culture. Back in 1857 when the British East India Company took over the sub-continent, they tried their best to discriminate against Muslims and to bring them down. Most of the sepoys back then were Hindus and Muslims as they were never appointed as higher officers. British officers then introduced a new type of Enfield rifle. The gunpowder used for that rifle required opening the greased cartridge with one’s teeth. To grease that cartridge, British officers, on purpose used pig fat and cow fat as they both were considered sacred to Muslims and Hindus respectively. In a scenario, where the British were ruling over Muslims and were the dominant authority of society, the Muslims did not let their pride down and went against 67 Asian Social Sciences Review Vol 1, Issue 1 (2020) Effect of Islamic Culture…. them in every way possible. Even in a forced situation they did not act against their concepts of Halal and Haram which were both culturally and religiously preserved by their ancestors and passed down to them. This along with other economic and social factors caused a huge Indian rebellion in 1857. Presently, about 96.28% of Pakistan’s population that makes about 12.74 billion is Muslim that majorly consumes Halal food as a part of their religious faith, but as time is passing by and the liberal mindset is evolving within the younger generation of Pakistani Muslim society, the factors that affect Muslim’s food choices and preferences are changing. On one hand, there is a significant amount of Muslims in Pakistan that still do not consider or tend to consume haram food irrespective of the scenario or situation gave whereas on the other hand there is also an amount of Muslims that are ready to eat haram food under certain scenarios and circumstances or they wish to consume some of the prohibited products if not seen by anyone. 1.2 Introduction: This research lies in the cultural domain of anthropology i.e., cultural anthropology as it deals with the food culture within the boundaries of Pakistan. It tends to identify Halal and Haram food eating patterns among the Pakistani Muslim youth. Furthermore, it also put light on how the food consumption patterns evolve within the society of Pakistan and what factors related to food are being preserved in the culture. Food-consuming behaviors among the Muslims in Pakistan are greatly influenced and affected by religion because religion is a dominant and major part of Pakistan’s ideology that almost affects every decision we make. Halal food consuming pattern specifically confirms that any preparation of raw material, such as the slaughter practices for meat consumption, follows Islamic teachings. The Islamic faith defines these characteristics and represents a standard way of life for Muslims to encompass Islamic values and humanity. In the global market setting, as the Muslim population in the world grows, people are becoming aware of their power as consumers. With contributors such as better literacy levels, professionalism, a proliferation of the mainstream media and social media, and the development of an Islamic economy, the halal food industry is growing to meet the new demands its consumers are placing (Henare 68 Asian Social Sciences Review Vol 1, Issue 1 (2020) Effect of Islamic Culture…. &Shepherd, 2012). Not only this, a lot of other factors such as social pressure, peer conformity, and the fact of being seen and judged also affect the food choices we make as Muslims. Moreover, another factor that is being discussed in the research is the effects of Halal food consumption on an individual’s self-esteem because when you consume Halal food as a Muslim, you’re ultimately obeying the teachings of almighty and the holy book Quran. This research gives a detailed analysis about how the younger generation of Pakistan tackles all these factors while consuming their food and what effects do these consuming patterns and priorities have on their self-esteem. To get the quantitative data a survey was being done on individuals ranging from 18 to 30 years of age and their responses were analyzed. A comparison is being done in this research between the current generation and their parent’s generation about how their forefathers transferred and passed down their cultural heritage, values, and preferences in our current generation and preserved different cultural aspects. 1.3 Problem Statement: Consuming halal food is part of the Islamic faith and an individual who is committed to the teachings and beliefs of Islam will choose to eat Halal (Salman & Siddique, 2011). However, a declaration of intention to purchase and consume halal does not guarantee one does buy and consume halal. In present life, human approach and rigidity towards religion has been reducing with a slow rate, rather than adopting cultural diffusion people are isolating their cultural aspects by not following and cherishing their cultural norms. As time is passing by, liberal mindset is taking over the younger generation of Pakistan, which is ultimately making some of them question the followed and permanent Islamic belief system which was preserved and followed as a strong cultural and religious factor by their ancestral chain such as consumption of Halal food or going out of their way to consume Halal food. Talking about the majority, even though all these factors are existing in society but most of the youngsters still value their religious norms and are engaged in halal food consumption only. 69 Asian Social Sciences Review Vol 1, Issue 1 (2020) Effect of Islamic Culture…. 1.4 Research Objective The main purpose and objective of this research are to find out that: Over the period, how eating patterns within the Pakistani society evolved. How the cultural and religious values are still strictly promoted among the youth of Pakistan. What are the differences that can be seen among the eating patterns of Pakistani youth and their parents? What are the factors that influenced and are responsible for these changes? To study and know the preferences of halal food consumption among Pakistani youth and why do they prefer either Halal or Haram.