Mr. Khan does not eat Parma Ham

So everything is allowed unless Islamic law prohibits it. Easy enough to remember.

Mr. Khan is a friend from Pakistan. We have spent the last weeks having interesting conversations on Pakistan, Western Europe, from microfinance or marriage to religion. It was after a class on Islamic banking that Mr. Khan told me 'let's go for lunch, I hope I can survive this last week on fruit and vegetables'. I told him that he could find meat in the cafeteria. His anwer: 'it is not Halal enough'.

We discussed the meaning of Halal (allowed) versus Haraam (forbidden) in the Islamic law on our walk towards lunch and I realized that even if the cafeteria was prominently displaying the Halal certificate, it would be difficult for Mr. Khan to eat that meat in good conscience. 'In Pakistan we have too many rules, I am not sure they follow them here in Italy'. He also told me that he was not feeling well because he could not pray on Fridays in a Mosque.

This conversation reminded me of another one I had with some friends in Spain some weeks ago. It first striked me as narrowminded when my friend said 'When I go to an arab country, I cover myself with a scarff, I eat their food, I do not pray in a church if there isn't one and I try to behave according to their rules of conduct...so why when they come and settle in Spain do they want to live the same way they lived back in their countries of origin?'. I am all for respect to different cultures, traditions and dietary restrictions but...there is a big 'but' that I fear many of my fellow Spaniards are starting to feel. 18% unemployment (1 and 8, no mistakes) and poor integration of what diversity is and means in the school curriculum are not helping.

As for Mr. Khan, he is doing okey: he found the fish corner in the cafeteria. Choices and designing incentives in the right way might partly answer some questions.