Islamic State Forbids Turkish Meat Products As Turkey Escalates Involvement In Conflict

The Islamic State group declared that meat products from Turkey are "haram" in the first issue of an online magazine published by the jihadist group Thursday. The militants' declaration that Islamic law forbids Turkish meat products came as Turkey has escalated its involvement in the fight against the miltant group, bombing strategic positions in Syria for the first time early Friday morning.

Konstantiniyye, an online Turkish magazine that serves as a propaganda tool for the group -- which is also known as ISIS or ISIL -- included an article titled "Fatwa on Meat Products Coming From Turkey." It criticized the cutting process of meat from Turkey because of doubts on the butcher's moral aptitude, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The online magazine proclaimed the meat was not in accordance with the "fatwa," the Arabic term for Islamic law.

"There are reservations about the processing of meat products coming from Turkey," Konstantiniyye wrote, as Hurriyet Daily News reported. "Firstly, it remains unclear whether the one doing this job is morally eligible for cutting meat. Secondly, most people in Turkey are apostates. These are reasons why we call meat products coming from Turkey 'haram.'" Haram means forbidden by Islamic law.

Turkey has become increasingly involved in the crisis in Iraq and Syria as the conflict with ISIS has encroached onto its southern border. Turkish soldiers engaged ISIS militants in direct combat on the Syrian border for the first time Thursday and the government in Ankara has granted permission for the United States to use Turkish air bases as it bombards ISIS forces, the New York Times reported. Turkey has previously been criticized for its reluctance to engage in the conflict.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced Turkey's decision to escalate attacks on ISIS on Thursday at a national security meeting, where he said that the opening of Turkish air bases to U.S. fighter jets "was a decision made on the basis of Turkish national security," CNN reported.