By Hamed Al-Moatasem
It was around 10:00 a.m. Beijing time, nearly three hours till the Friday prayer, when the young man approached to the mosque.
Jang stood for sometime outside at the mosque’s doorstep hesitant to step in, especially with a “Muslims Only” sign in Chinese, English and Arabic attached to the gate .
He finally defeated a whiff of indecision and walked into the Muslim place of worship.
“Can we help you?” asked the mosque’s leading imam.
“I want to become a Muslim,” answered Jang.
The smiling imam welcomed him and accompanied him to the Islamic Society office, attached to the mosque.
They offered Jang three booklets on Islam to know more about the faith he wants to embrace.
To their surprise, the young man said he not only read the booklets but also many other books on the Muslim faith.
Jang engaged the imams in a discussion that proved to them he knew what he was about to do.
One imam walked him into Islam with the pronouncement of the Shahadah; testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His Messenger.
It All Started With Pork
Jang, who changed his name to Selim, sat down with IslamOnline.net after the ceremony to talk about his journey to Islam.
“It all started with pork,” he said with a smile.
Islam’s dietary habits, including the prohibition of pork, led a curious Jang to read about the Muslim faith.
“I perused medical journals and devoured books for an answer.”
Islam considers pigs unclean because they are omnivorous, not discerning between meat or vegetation in their natural dietary habits unlike cows and sheep for instance, which eat only plants.
Some scientists say eating pork can cause no less than seventy different types of diseases.
“I found the same conclusion in traditional Chinese medicine, which does not recommend eating pork and designated it as the most harmful and least healthy meat,” said Selim.
A jubilant Selim joined an extended family of more than 30 million Muslims in China, according to official data.
Islam came to China via Muslim businessman during the era of the Tang Dynasty 1300 years ago.
There have also been reports of companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) coming to China.
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Hamed Al-Moatasem is IslamOnline.net’s correspondent in China.
Source: ISLAMONLINE
Tags: pork
We Choose ISLAM 
August 11, 2008 at 3:52 am |
This helps a lot – I had no idea about this issue with pork. I will have to further research the medical perspectives for not eating pork.
thanks very much,
Annette
September 30, 2009 at 1:23 am |
May Allah Guide you
April 28, 2011 at 10:52 pm |
May ALLAH bless you
July 26, 2011 at 2:42 pm |
may Allah bless you and keep you a muslim all your life
August 8, 2011 at 9:00 am |
Assalamu’alikum
now we are brothers wheater we are far away
August 31, 2011 at 10:31 pm |
may the almighty ALLHA bless u and make u as example for other relegion friends
February 28, 2012 at 2:25 pm |
may Allah bless you as a follower
October 10, 2012 at 4:14 pm |
Allah swt memberikan hidayahNYA kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakNYA Allahhuakbarr welcome my brother
September 24, 2013 at 10:45 am |
Salam. I heard some Muslims friends said, prohibition on eating pork is not simply because it is filthy physically, but the hidden things that we do not completely know. They said, foods will cause have certain effects on our mind, body and behaviour ! “Bad” foods by spiritual points of view, or that prohibited in Islam will affect us and our attitude, they said. Monkey, pig or swine, dog, among the many, are among the animal which are worse in their habitation and characters that may affect man’s character if the meat is consumed. Anyway, the prohibition of certain foods is not because of a single reason. In Islam, anything which is poisonous like snake for example is also prohibited.
If we were to check it from a scientific point of view, for instance as to whether pork or bacon could cause certain problem to our health, I think science labarotories capable of detecting it. But to go to a science lab or scientist to detect if such a behavioural changes or efffects, then it is NOT as easy. The hidden reasons why it is prohibited, I mean.
September 24, 2013 at 1:53 pm |
Salam to you too… 🙂
Yes, I totally agree with you. The prohibition of eating pork and other prohibitions are The Test from ALLAH The Almighty God. To test whether we comply to ALLAH’s commands or not.
And of course there must be valid reasons for HIM to prohibit us to do something. Only He Knows why. Because He is our Creator.