What?! The French is Going "Halal" Too?

Me noted with great interest on a recent news article that mentioned about some dissenting voices made by a few French lawmakers against a French fast food chain that had made "halal food" as part of their standard menu.

Although the move for a halal menu by the fast food chain (which was in fact majority owned by the state!!) was simply a matter of survival based on a "supply and demand" business decision. This goes to show that the "Light of Truth" from the more than 5 million Muslims currently living in France, could no longer be "suppressed" as had been happening for ages. In the end, it is bound to surface from the smallest of crevices or cracks and find its way to the hearts of the populace.

The move and the subsequent controversies the "halal menu" generated is to be regarded as "healthy" and to an extend could be an eye opening experience for the French society at large, where the norm had always been to dismiss the Muslim beliefs and practices as "primitive" and "intolerant", even though the controversy itself has "helped" to reinforce the wrong notion among the French that Islam is a religion bordering on "insanity" for they could not "see" why the followers of the blessed Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had to abide by certain rules and regulations with regards to halal food, as ordained by Allah the Almighty, which do not make any sense at all to them - in the context of their Western upbringing.

In fact, for the West, the controversies surrounding Islamic practices had not diminished much especially in the post 911 period where it had begun to breed the kind of Islamophobia the likes of which had not been seen before in the West. The proponents of the West, post-911 period, had cited numerous examples of the Muslims trying to "colonize" the West, either through their "population explosion" strategy or Muslim empowerment in its various forms such as the halal food, wearing of the Islamic garbs or the hijab for the Muslim ladies.

Again, to the proponents of the West, the fear is real, if left unchecked, some of the right thinking Westerners would most probably turn to Islam in droves and that would be to them, the beginning of the end of their Western ideology!

Hence, all efforts should not be spared to deny the Muslims, living in the West, their rights to live in accordance with their believes and practices. This can be seen either from the numerous books being written or films being produced with the single minded purpose of fanning anti-Muslim sentiments across the Western world. Hoping that this will create a "fear factor" in the hearts and minds of the Westerners which could act as a barrier from them getting to the bottom of the truth, whose light is beginning to shine ready to fill up the religious vacuum existing in the Western society.

Recently, that fear factor had been aptly symbolized on top of the current "halal menu" controversy in France, by the banning of Minarets for new mosques in Switzerland and the banning of the Hijab or Burqa in France itself which had captured the imagination of millions the world over.

Who knows, what started of as a basic "supply and demand" business proposition in the halal menu controversy in France, could be the beginning of further opening of the floodgate of acceptance of more Islamic practices in France and the Western world in general, we never know, it is all in the "Hands" of Allah, for He works in many mysterious ways.

No doubt, as Muslims, we must believe that Allah will never, ever, abandon His religion, Islam - the peaceful way of life, and that He will continue to ensure that His "Lights" and the Truth are not going to be forever remained buried in the hearts and minds of those who presently "fear" His religion....with His Mercy, it is not impossible, for those proponents of the West, to be the proponents of Islam instead, chosing Islam as their way of life. A way of life meant for the Western society as well the entire Ummah....Ameen.

Lastly, me would like to take this opportunity to again thanks me honored guests for the great support given to this blog for the past one year for today also happens to be the 1st anniversary of "JustSaySolah"!! Happy reading....