Can we eat at MacDonalds?

In order to make a decision, we would have to establish with certitude the claim that you have brought forward, notwithstanding, the commentsobservations made would not be in the least surprising if they were true. However, we lack the time and resources to investigate claims like these with elusive companies such as these, instead we advise the Muslims in general to keep aloof from non-Muslim takeaways as a matter of caution. Fast food takeaways like these are what we would term 'non-essential services' and would not disadvantage us in the least if we avoided them. Considering the corrupt ethos and ideology pumped out with these products and the resultant ill effects on our spiritual well-being, we can not advise anything else.

Would you trust a non-Muslim Fast Food Company to serve you Halaal?  Read these scary testimonies from people who worked there:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/1348296.stm

http://tinyurl.com/lr6o

The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Fast-Food-Nation.htm

Fast Food's Hidden Dangers

http://www.fa-ir.org/ai/fastfood_hidden.htm

The high risk of contamination with Haraam meat products
Even IF we were to assume (hypothetically) that 80% of products in a non-Muslim fast-food restaurant were 100% Halaal, even then we can not expect them to guarantee us with certainty that these products will be Halaal when handed to us; we would be gullible to expect this. Takeaways like these do not aim to cater for specific dietary eligious groups but instead specialise in providing the customer with 'FAST food'. As fast as they can get it to you so that they can serve the next customer. We suspect that there would be a high risk of cross contamination with the variety of meat products. Don't take my word for it, hear it from the people who have worked there. Though there are based on comments from the USA nevertheless they could quite easily be applied here in the UK. To quote:

Ray Marsh ranch hand Member # 217 posted May 05, 2001 09:58 AM

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I worked at McDs. Grease gets air born everything gets grease on it. You eat something that’s cooked in oil you cannot assume that it is 100% vegetable. In fact if it was pure, in the container, I doubt it would be after sitting open in a cooker all day, in the same kitchen where 100s of burgers and other meat products are being cooked.

Andy Ceponis ranch hand Member # 6999 posted May 05, 2001 10:40 AM

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Like I said earlier this is America. Most people in America like things a certain way, and guess what......companies cater to us. If they had to cater to every little segment of the population it would be to expensive even for a company like McDonalds to be in business. ....And since obviously all the vegetarians have been eating meat products this whole time(even without knowing it) it cannot be all THAT bad..... I used to work at McDonalds when I was 15. And I can tell you that if you have ever eaten there, you have eaten meat in one form or another. Even if it is just oil with meat bits or flavoring in it. The oil gets everywhere(on buns, condiments, all the machinery). And it was common practice(as im sure it is at all the mickeyd's) that when someone ordered a hamburger with no meat all we did was take the patty off the bun and repackage it. Sorry to say that, but back then I used to do it all the time because it was faster, and the faster I could get done the faster I could get to go downstairs and have take my break.

As a benediction we reproduce the following:

SANHA VERDICT: Eating Out
'Whilst the 'Eating-Out' trend is growing, Muslims are urged to exercise great caution when frequenting non-Muslim owned RESTAURANTS / PIZZA PARLOURS / HOTELS, etc. A vegetable pizza and / or seafood dish can be easily polluted with wine, Haraam meats, other Haraam ingredients and contaminated utensils etc.

Remember the Shari'ah does not permit you to eat from restaurants which serve alcohol. Preserve your Imaan - watch what and where you eat.'

MFG:
Take-Aways and Eating Out
"Many people eat take-away meals nowadays and this is something the Muslim Community will have to live with in the future. Muslims are however urged to exercise great caution when eating in non-Muslim outlets as there is very little or NO awareness regarding Halaal. A vegetarian pizza or fillet-o-fish can be can be contaminated by utensils or even filtered oil!"

Allah reward you for using the Foodguide Service.  Allah give us tawfique to eat Halaal all the time. Please tell your friends and please pray for us too.
 
... and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

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