Pigs and Their Prohibition

Little is more central to the study of the modern Middle East than religion. Amidst the differences between the Judaic and Islamic traditions, both are unified about the religious prohibition of swine as a source of food. This taboo is one of the more significant common markers of their ethnicity an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of Middle East studies 1994-02, Vol.26 (1), p.57-75
Main Author: Lobban, Richard A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ancient civilizations
Ancient Egypt
Animal domestication
Animal tales
Animals
Cattle
Christianity
Ecological competition
Food
Food (pigs)
Food taboos
Hogs
Islam
Jews
Judaism
Livestock
Middle East
Pigs
Pork
Religion
Social life & customs
Swine
Taboos
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Summary:Little is more central to the study of the modern Middle East than religion. Amidst the differences between the Judaic and Islamic traditions, both are unified about the religious prohibition of swine as a source of food. This taboo is one of the more significant common markers of their ethnicity and religious code. Indeed, violations or poor adherence to the taboo can be considered as grave religious insults or cultural transgressions. In India, the meat of swine has been thrown on mosque steps and has provoked major intercommunal rioting. Even as one flies to the Middle East in modern, high-technology European airlines, the companies commonly inform all passengers that the meals contain no pork. In Spain, the ritual public slaughter of pigs, the matanza, has come to symbolize the resistance of Christians to the Muslim occupation. The matanza ritual has come to be a modern element in the formation of Spanish religious and cultural identity (Castaner 1988). Yet, the debate about the origins of this modern taboo is unresolved and still continues.
ISSN:0020-7438
1471-6380
DOI:10.1017/S0020743800059766