By Kayla Walker

A new hot dinner entrée was added to the Lackmann Culinary Services menu on campus last week, to satisfy the needs of students following a halal diet.

“Ramadan is still going on so it’s the perfect time to test to see if students are interested because those observing are fasting until sundown,” Eisa Shukran, director of dining services said.

Halal is food permissible under Islamic law.

“[It is] the Muslim equivalent to kosher,” Malaikah Choudry, president of the Muslim Student’s Association said. “Halal meat specifies that the name of God be recited over the preparation of the meat, in addition to proper draining of the blood. We are only allowed to eat meat that’s prepared in this manner.”

“I got the idea to serve halal food last year but never got around to getting in touch with the campus’ Muslim Student’s Association to discuss their needs and wants,” Shukran said.

“I wanted it to have an ethnic taste to appeal to many people, even non-Muslim students,” Shukran said. “So you can get something like jerkied chicken or a traditional Indian dish that is halal.”

The evening entrée is available in the Student Center next to a vegan entrée.

“Next week we’re going to start a marketing campaign to coincide with the end of Ramadan notifying students of the new choices in response to students’ complaints,” Shukran said.

Shukran said that the next step for halal food at the University is pre-packaged sandwiches and other items that would be available all over campus, much like the packaged kosher foods that Lackmann provides.

“I cannot even have French fries on campus because the oil in which they are fried is the same oil used for bacon, which is not considered halal and so must not touch my food,” Shamim Habib, sophomore accounting major said.

“I [was] usually forced to go off campus to have a satisfying meal and as a student at Hofstra, why should I have to sacrifice my time and energy to do that?” Kinza Ali, sophomore international business major, said about her options before Lackmann began serving halal food.

“I think it’s a good idea to have things like the Mediterranean Market so you can have kosher food so that more devout Jews have something they can eat,” Rose Simpson, senior elementary education and English major said. “I didn’t know that Muslims have the equivalent to kosher food so it’s really great that now they can get it [on campus].”