Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has found itself at the centre of controversy in Canada after announcing plans to serve halal-certified chicken and discontinue pork products that are haram (proscribed by Islamic law) across most of its restaurants in Ontario.
The American fast-food restaurant chain KFC aims to provide customers with more “diverse and inclusive” options by adhering to Islamic dietary laws.
According to reports, the transition began in May. It affected all KFC stores in Ontario province, home to Canada’s largest Muslim community, excluding Thunder Bay City and the capital of Canada, Ottawa.
However, the change is expected to be rolled out in KFC stores nationwide by the end of the year.
Soon after the KFC outlets announced their decision, it garnered a mixed reaction on social media, with many users calling for a boycott of the chain under various hashtags, alleging that the decision is a sign of an impending Muslim takeover of the country.
However, thousands of users welcomed the move as a step toward inclusivity.
Some users amplified their voices, arguing that halal meat is a “barbaric form of torture” and citing the practice of not stunning animals before slaughtering. Others with their anti-Muslim rhetorical opinions, claimed that the halal certification will lead to the establishment of Sharia (Islamic laws) in Canada.
Countering the Islamophobic statements, critics on social media have highlighted that several other fast food chains, such as Popeyes and Mary Brown’s, had already been serving halal food at various locations in Canada before KFC’s announcement.
What is Halal meat?
Halal (also spelt halaal) is an Arabic word that means “lawful or permitted and adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the holy book of Muslims, the Quran.
The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry, Dhabiha, involves a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe. However, one user pointed out that this move is not particularly for Muslims but for Jews as well.
Notably, in Abrahamic religions, eating pig flesh is forbidden by Jewish (kashrut), Islamic (halal), and Christian Adventist (kosher animals) dietary laws. This move comes amid a prolonged economic boycott linked to the ongoing conflict in war-torn Gaza. KFC has reportedly been forced to temporarily close over 100 of its outlets in Malaysia.
The closures, which affect approximately 20 percent of KFC’s restaurants in the country, come as a result of a mass-level boycott, especially in Muslim-majority countries targeting US-linked businesses in response to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
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