In a message to What's On-Gambia, Ebrima Jobe of Serre Kunda wants to know if a Gambian who eats pork can donate blood to a Muslim.

He wrote: "As Muslims, we are forbidden to eat pork. So can a non-Muslim who eats pork donate blood to a Muslim?

Ebrima continued: "The food we eat makes up part of the blood. That's why when you have a low HB level, you are advised to eat proteinous food like meat, chicken, beans, etc.

"Don't limit your thoughts to my question. Come to think of it: Muslims are allowed to marry Christians. When a Muslim marries a Christian, they make children together. So if a Muslim man is allowed to marry a Christian woman even if she eats pork and they can make children together, shouldn't a Christian who eats pork be able to donate a Muslim blood?

"But you know Islam isn't about being personally logical. So let's visit the Quran or ask people who can interpret it well for clarity."

Pork is forbidden in Islam according to the text of the Quran, where Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He has forbidden you only the Maytah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine…” [al-Baqarah 2:173].

It is not permissible for a Muslim to consume it under any circumstances except in cases of necessity where a person’s life depends on eating it, such as in the case of starvation.