The Bahrain government has rejected a proposal by a lawmaker to ban the import and sale of pork in the country.

The government took the view that the parliamentary proposal will militate against the rights of the large number of non-Muslims working and living in Bahrain.

In its reply to the Parliament, the government said that all kinds of meat imported by Bahrain, including pork, were duly checked to ensure they met the sanitary requirements, Bahraini daily Al Ayam reported on Sunday.

The Bahrain government has stood firm by its stand despite several attempts in the past by lawmakers to introduce the prohibition.

In 2015, MP Abdullah Bin Howail had called for a blanket ban on the import, sale and possession of pork products.

His grounds: dealing with pork or related products was against Islam and that Bahrain, as a Muslim country, should adhere to Sharia rulings.

His proposal was made three months after the Shura Council, the upper chamber of the bicameral parliament, voted to dismiss amendments to the Penal Code that would have criminalised dealing with pork.

Shura members argued that the ban would have been a violation of the human rights of the non-Muslims who lived in the kingdom.

Bahrain is home to around 600,000 foreigners, making up slightly more than half of the total population.

With inputs from Gulf News.

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