The sale to Muslims of halal pinnekjøtt in Norway has increased year by year, according to distributor, ‘Pak Mat’. Many Muslims give their own twist to Norwegian Christmas celebrations.
Chief Executive, Mir Alem Khan at the International Food Center (Internasjonal Matsenter) in Sandnes is one of those selling ‘pinnekjøtt’ of sheep slaughtered according to Islamic custom’, wrote Rogaland’s newspaper.
‘We sell much of it to Muslim families. The children like to have a Christmas tree and Christmas dinner. In order for them not to feel outside of Norwegian society, families mark a kind of alternative Christmas,’ he said.
Distributor, Pak Mat, said there is great interest in halal pinnekjøtt and that sales increase each year. For reasons of competition, the company didn’t want to disclose how much they sell, but in 2013 they reported to Vårt Land newspaper that it was 1.3 tons.
Jesus is an important prophet in Islam, but Muslims don’t consider him to be the Son of God. Celebration of his birthday is also not part of the religion.
Nevertheless, it is a part marked by the holiday season. The leader of the Muslim Council in Rogaland, Ahmad Abu Nima, said it’s fine on one condition.
‘As long as you don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, this is unproblematic: the boundary is drawn at attending church services,’ he said.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
