Fake Holy Water Warning

Health officers in Britain have issued a warning to consumers to be on the lookout for fake holy water. From the BBC:
The water is advertised as coming from the sacred well of Zam Zam in Mecca, the most holy city in Islam, and demand increases during Ramadan. The warning does not cover genuine Zam Zam, which is sourced from the Well of Zam Zam, located within the Masjid al Haram in Mecca. Councillor Audrey Lewis was concerned Muslims may be exploited into buying counterfeit Zam Zam during the holy month of Ramadan. She said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia forbids the commercial export of genuine Zam Zam, so we have no idea of the true source of the water which ends up on the streets of the UK.

Zam Zam holy water? I immediately thought it sounded like a good name for a kid's soft drink. Turns out it is. You can buy Zam Zam Cola in Iran.

I think they should issue a general consumer advisory about all holy waters -- that tap water shares all their special powers, for a fraction of the price.

Health/Medicine Religion

Posted on Wed Sep 12, 2007


Comments

Not only is tap water as good as the Holy Water at a fraction of the price, but it is also as good as bottled water at a fraction of the price. In the US, tap water is regulated by the EPA as well as local agencies and bottled water is regulated by the FDA. The standards for tap water are actually more stringent than those for bottled water.
Posted by Shane  on  Thu Sep 13, 2007  at  08:12 AM
Blah blah. I'm getting so sick of the recent complaining about bottled water. I don't know about you, but where I live, the tap water tastes like shit. I'll stick to bottled, thanks.
Posted by Sakano  on  Thu Sep 13, 2007  at  10:28 AM
Isn't calling something both 'Fake' and 'Holy' redundant? Precisely what magical properties does 'Real Holy Water' have over ordinary 'Tap Water'?? When will this world get over its need for superstitions?
Posted by Marshall Taylor  on  Thu Sep 13, 2007  at  11:54 AM
Yep,Zam Zam is a real well in Makkah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamzam_Well

It is a custom to bring the water from the well (which now consists of a pump routing water to various areas with running taps) back home and share it with friends and family.
Posted by a khan  on  Thu Sep 13, 2007  at  12:18 PM
It's not true Holy water until it has undergone the proper purification ritual with Malted barley, hops and yeast.
As Ben Franklin said;"Beer is proof that God loves us ands wants us to be happy."
Posted by Captain DaFt  on  Thu Sep 13, 2007  at  11:30 PM
I read that selling real Zam Zam water is supposed to be against God's law, so seeing a bottle of it on Hounslow High Street and not in the holy well is a pretty sure sign it's fake.

Mind you the fake Zam Zam water (and does anyone else keep thinking of the kid from the Flintstones?) is full of arsenic, so maybe it's holy cos it gets you to heaven a lot faster.
Posted by Nona  on  Fri Sep 14, 2007  at  06:43 AM
Before we know it, Dasani and Aquafina will be blessing their water and racking in the dough.
Everyone will win on it..the churches will use it, christian and moralist conservatives will give the "I approve!". Kids will drink it (Because you know, if they don't, they'll go to hell right?)
Posted by River Styx  on  Mon Sep 17, 2007  at  12:26 AM
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