Why do followers of Judaism and Islam not eat pork?

Answer 1

The fact that consumption of pork is prohibited in Islam is well known. The following points explain various aspects of this prohibition:

1. Pork prohibited in Qur’an

The Qur’an prohibits the consumption of pork in no less than 4 different places. It is prohibited in 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115.

"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah."
[Al-Qur’an 5:3]

The above verses of the Holy Qur’an are sufficient to satisfy a Muslim as to why pork is forbidden.

2. Pork prohibited in the Bible

The Christian is likely to be convinced by his religious scriptures. The Bible prohibits the consumption of pork, in the book of Leviticus

"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you".

"Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you."
[Leviticus 11:7-8]

Pork is also prohibited in the Bible in the book of Deuteronomy

"And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass."
[Deuteronomy 14:8]

A similar prohibition is repeated in the Bible in the book of Isaiah chapter 65 verse 2-5.

3. Consumption of pork causes several diseases

Eating of pork can cause no less than seventy different types of diseases. A person can have various helminthes like roundworm, pinworm, hookworm, etc. One of the most dangerous is Taenia Solium, which is in lay man’s terminology called tapeworm. It harbours in the intestine and is very long. Its ova i.e. eggs, enter the blood stream and can reach almost all the organs of the body. If it enters the brain it can cause memory loss. If it enters the heart it can cause heart attack, if it enters the eye it can cause blindness, if it enters the liver it can cause liver damage. It can damage almost all the organs of the body.

Another dangerous helminthes is Trichura Tichurasis. A common misconception about pork is that if it is cooked well, these ova die. In a research project undertaken in America, it was found that out of twenty-four people suffering from Trichura Tichurasis, twenty two had cooked the pork very well. This indicates that the ova present in the pork do not die under normal cooking temperature.

4. Pork has fat building material

Pork has very little muscle building material and contains excess of fat. This fat gets deposited in the vessels and can cause hypertension and heart attack. It is not surprising that over 50% of Americans suffer from hypertension.

5. Pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth

The pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth. It lives and thrives on muck, faeces and dirt. It is the best scavenger that I know that God has produced. In the villages they don’t have modern toilets and the villagers excrete in the open air. Very often excreta is cleared by pigs.

Some may argue that in advanced countries like Australia, pigs are bred in very clean and hygienic conditions. Even in these hygienic conditions the pigs are kept together in sties. No matter how hard you try to keep them clean they are filthy by nature. They eat and enjoy their own as well as their neighbour’s excreta.

6. Pig is the most shameless animal

The pig is the most shameless animal on the face of the earth. It is the only animal that invites its friends to have sex with its mate. In America, most people consume pork. Many times after dance parties, they have swapping of wives; i.e. many say "you sleep with my wife and I will sleep with your wife." If you eat pigs then you behave like pigs. We Indians look upon America to be very advanced and sophisticated. Whatever they do, we follow after a few years. According to an article in Island magazine, this practice of swapping wives has become common in the affluent circles of Bombay.

Answer 2

The bans on various practices in the early written / spoken religious texts were to codify good practices and minimize bad ones. "you should not eat pork because it could cause disease" (trichinosis, etc) and the swine would eat anything it could find, up to and including it's own, these moratoriums were not limited to food but also the other daily practices, such as which hand to clean yourself with and who you can and can't have sex with. All of these things were Health Department items in a time when they had no health departments... The misinterpretations of these rules came long after the writers and have led to all the misunderstandings and hatred in the world today, as other people tagged their goofy crap on to the original "documents", leading up to the current writings of religion that read like the US tax code, where all of the rules apply to everyone unless read in short snippets by the appropriately crooked priest, politician or lawyer. The powerful can't stand for things to be simple. Read the book "SALT" it will open your eyes to the sorts of things I mention about rules and laws.

Answer 3

I am not conversant with the intricacies of Judaism or Christianity, therefore I will try to give you the understanding of Islam.

We must understand the goal of Islam. It is not something that many people are fully cognisant of - even muslims, often forget their goals. The goal of Islam and Muslims, is to elevate human beings to an ideal state - thus earning them the pleasure of their creator and a safe and harmonius journey back to the Garden (Heaven) from whence he departed.

Towards that end, this life is a "test" - to see who amongst the progeny of Adam & Eve obeys the commandments of his Creator and who acts upon his own whims (and desires). Some commandments conform to our understanding of the universe and the world that we have experienced; whereas, some do not conflit with it; and some, oppose our experience and understanding of the world, as we understand it (at present).

Belief - and everyone has some forms of belief - is based on accptance of something which one has not "experienced" by his own senses. In Islam, belief, refers to the acceptance of all that the Creator revealed to His prophet pbuh. [Most people haven't experienced the moon landing - yet most of us believe in it. Although there are some who think it was a grand hoax.]

The forbidding of eating pork is one of those things that were ordered (commanded) by the One and Only Sustainer. It is one of the signs of our belief in his word. It reaffirms the belief in His commandments - with the hope of reward and His pleasure, in this world and the hereafter.

Answer 4

Pork was believed to be unclean - and in the old days this was probably true, certainly in warmer countries, where meat goes of far quicker.

Pork can also carry a parasite called trichinosis - which can do pretty nasty things to you if left untreated.

Nowadays, as long as it is well cooked, pork is fine to eat.

Plenty of people do, and seem to be just fine...

Answer 5

" Forbidden to you for (food) are: dead meat, blood and the flesh of the swine and that which hath been invoked the name other than Allah. " Holy Qur'an 5:4

" The pig also because it is a splitter of the hoof but there is no cud. It is unclean foryou. None of their flesh must you eat and carcass you must not touch. " Deuteronomy 14:8 ( Bible)

Abstention from eating pork is a measure to safeguard
health.Of all the domestic animals, pig is the most
avaricious, eating anything including human excreta. It is the
cradle of harmful germs and parasites. Its meat is carrier of
diseases to man, thus making it unfit for human consumption.

Answer 6

because they knew even thousands of years ago that pigs could give humans all kinds of dieases.especially in a desert climate. It is still possible to catch diseases today although with modern pig farming methiods they have all but disappeared Probably because the pig resembles the human body the most
That is why we are anle to use pigskin for grafts etc,

Answer 7

in the first five books of the bible it forbids all kinds of meat, including horse, pork, lobster, crab, shrimp, anything that eats meat,(like bears and birds of prey), and squid. Seventh Day Adventists don't eat these meats either

Answer 8

According to their beliefs, ruminant animals (those who eat mainly plants and have more than one stomach) are fine to eat because they digest their food properly. Animals with only one stomach, such as pigs as considered unclean because they don't digest their food properly.

Answer 9

because Allah ordered us not to eat pork , on the other hand eating pork is not so healthy

Answer 10

If you call yourself Christian, please read Old Testimony, where it is written that pork is forbiddent to eat...
It is not said by juidaists or muslims. It was message from God