ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the case of halal food to illustrate how entrepreneurs as well as other actors including religious authorities and the broader public in Kyrgyzstan have negotiated and reflected on the religious rules, as they applied these rules to mundane practices. It discusses the importance of halal food through anecdotal observations: These days there are all kinds of chemically-laden products, and you can really see their effect on people. With the expansion of the halal economy starting from late 1990s, deliberations and debates have developed regarding how to produce, sell and consume halal food and beverages. Halal is not a fixed and stable prescription, but rather a site of doubt, dilemma and negotiation. Moreover, the examples from the advocates of halal food demonstrate that good intentions about the cultivation of moral persons through "good food" bracket off the humane raising and handling of animals.
