Halal (Arabic for lawful or legal) is a term that designates any object or action that is permissible to use or engage in according to Islamic law (haram designates unlawful or prohibited). The term is most commonly employed to delineate the food that is permitted for Muslims to eat, but it is also used to designate permissible cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and food contact materials.
Generally, all foods are considered halal except the following (which are haram):

Swine/Pork and its by-products;
Animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering;
Alcoholic drinks and intoxicants;
Carnivorous animals, birds of prey and certain other animals; and
Foods contaminated with any of the above products.

The French culture wars over Islam have become bitterly contentious in the past few years, and it was inevitable that halal foods would eventually become a point of contention in the fiercely nationalistic country. The latest brouhaha involves the Franco-Belgian fast-food chain “Quick,” which (heaven forbid) sells halal burgers on their menu. The firestorm over this indignity was ignited when René Vandierendonck, the socialist mayor of the northern city of Roubaix, took issue with the chain’s decision to remove bacon burgers from their menu at his area location and replace it with a version using halal beef or turkey bacon. Claiming it was “discrimination” against non-Muslims, the mayor has filed charges with justice officials for “prejudicial racial catering.” He is so incensed, in fact, that he formally lodged a complaint with France’s premiere anti-discriminatory authority on the issue.

The mayor’s critics point out that Roubaix’s “Quick” outlet is one of eight in France to enact this change to the menu, in an effort to adapt to its predominantly Muslim clientele. Sadly, this skirmish is just a drop in the well in France’s ideological war over how to adapt to the presence of its large (and growing) Muslim minority while preserving its essential “Frenchness”. However, it seems unlikely that the pervasive Islamophobia in France will convince many Muslims to embrace cultural assimilation. If the “Quick” controversy is any indication, France has a long way to go before it comes to terms with the new realities of its fast changing nation.

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