BEIJING, August 28 (Xinhuanet) – "Why the Hui group do not eat pork" and "Why the Muslims do not eat pork" are totally two different questions, thus there awaits two answers.
The origin of Hui group's diet taboos has nothing to do with Islam. Instead it results from the ancient ethnic customs in the western area and other religions. Therefore the taboos have become one of the traditions bearing the characteristics of the Hui group. For example, it is not mentioned in the Islamic Doctrines that the Hui can eat bird with craw, ruminant animals or fishes with fins and scales. It is prescribed by the Koran that all animals living in the sea can be eaten, however the Hui group have specific requirements on edible aquatic products. All animals swimming, crawling, or flying that are grotesque､dirty､ferocious and peculiar and rotten and contaminated are among the prohibited.
The prohibited can be divided into the following types:
Birds: birds that eat grain and with craws and beaks like that of chicken are edible , such as chicken､duck､ goose､quail､pigeon､sparrow､wild goose and etc. However, birds with beaks like that of eagles and eat meat are not edible, such as eagle, howlet, tameduck, vulture, crow, pied magpie, and woodpecker.
Beasts: beasts that ruminates, and with four divided hoofs and a good temperament are edible, such as cattle､sheep､camel and deer. However the beasts like pig､dog､cat､tiger､leopard､wolf､lion､rat､snake､donkey､horse､mule､monkey､bear and elephant are not edible.
Fishes: fishes with fins on the belly､scales on the body and heads and tails, such as carps､chubs､crucians､ grass carps､yellow fishes､hair tails are edible. Inedible fishes include whales､sharks､frogs､turtles､dolphins､seadogs､sea lions and those look like fish or named as fish but are not fish such as loach and turtle.
All the animals excluding fishes have to be slaughtered with the invocation to the Allah's name. (The Hui group say slaughter, instead of kill). Suicided animals are inedible either.
(Source: casetf.org)
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