At home in Mount Prospect, Ill., Hannan Quereshi only ate meat prepared according to Muslim law. His family would buy halal, or zabiha, cuts from a special butcher weekly. But since arriving at Northwestern, the Weinberg freshman has not been able to adhere to his custom due to the lack of options at dining halls. In Islam, eating zabiha is akin to keeping Kosher in Judaism. The ideas behind the practices are very similar – when slaughtered, an animal must endure the least amount of pain. In order for meat to be zabiha, the animal is cut in a specific way and prayers are offered to Allah.
Yet for Muslims, Kosher meals, which are readily available across campus, are no substitute. “Kosher meat is definitely better than regular meat, but it is not the same,” says Quereshi, who normally eats in the Elder dining hall. He knows that there are options to eat zabiha on campus, but they are only available in certain dining halls like Sargent and Foster-Walker, and have to be specially requested, he says. “I eat at Elder because of convenience,” Quereshi says. “You know how Evanston winters are, you don’t want to leave unless you have to.”
A member of the Muslim Cultural Student Association, who has a job that prohibits the use of her name, has had a similar experience. She has tried to observe zabiha regulations most of the time since middle school, but has struggled at NU. “It’s a big hassle to wait in line and have to specifically ask for zabiha food,” she says. “Not only do you hold up the line while the kitchen staff goes to check, but when they don’t have it, you have to go to another line and look for different meal options.” The Communication senior was on the executive board of McSA last year, when the organization worked with NU Cuisine to provide zabiha meat in dining halls. As a result, NU Cuisine began offering the approved food in certain dining halls like Sargent and Foster-Walker. Those cafeterias now offer zabiha chicken and hamburgers from time to time.
While the senior appreciates having zabiha options on campus, she says they are still inconsistent and often limited. The meat is generally available at the beginning of the week, but dwindles considerably by the weekend, she says. She also complains of slim variety in the types of meat offered in the dining halls, with usually only one kind offered each week. “There was one week when only grilled chicken was available (so) I had to get creative with only one type of meat,” she says. “I cut the chicken and made salad one day. I also made chicken quesadillas, and chicken parmesan in order to have a variety of plates.” When there is no meat she can eat, she goes vegetarian. Because of her belief system, the dietary restrictions make her feel most comfortable, she says. “I wanted to make sure I knew what I was putting in my body.”
