Mass-produced items identified as kosher long ago entered the daily lives of non-Jews in this country–in fact, betcha pesos to dollars most people don't even notice the acronym “KSA” put on items approved by the Kosher Supervision of America.
But as Muslims enter the mainstream of American life, corporations also want to cash in on their religious beliefs and are thus offering products labeled halal. Campbell's Soup in Canada is now doing that–and the Islamaphobes are preaching conspiracy, as usual.
]
The Internet's greatest resource for unhinged lunacy, WorldNetDaily, takes issue that Campbell's in Canada did this at the advice of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a non-profit charity that has helped Muslims for decades. Mind you, the soups being offered aren't potages native to the ummah–you're probably not going to find low-fat Cream of Broccolo, among other selections, in Little Arabia anytime soon. But any kowtowing to Muslim sensibilities, in the eyes of WorldNetDaily and so many others, is akin to replacing the cherubic Campbell's Kids with Osama bin Laden and his amigos.
The local angle, of course, is that the past president of the ISNA was Muzammil Siddiqi, the head imam of Orange County's oldest mosque, the Islamic Society of Orange County, and about as nice a religious leader you'll ever meet. The good imam, who has weathered more haters than many of us can imagine in a lifetime, would probably invite them to Auntie Fatima's legendary iftars held at the Islamic Society during Ramadan. One can only dream…
