France has a new fast-food restaurant: Beurger King Muslim (BKM). The restaurant is styled after American fast-food chains (hmm, wonder which one??) and aims to attract France's young generation of Muslims:

The name is a play on both the huge American chain as well as the French slang word "beur", which means second generation North Africans living in France.

There is only one BKM currently open, however the hope is that other BKM's will pop-up across the country. The menu, expectedly, features burgers with halal meat. A "technical counselor" named Hakim explains:

We buy meat from a local supplier and it's prepared according to halal rites. And we verify the origin and content of all foods to make sure there is no alcohol or animal fat mixed in with the sauces or other ingredients.

One can only appreciate the ingenuity of the BKM concept, however one must also worry that in addition to facing the ban on conspicuous articles of faith in public schools, the Muslim proprietors who created this restaurant may also have to concern themselves with a trademark suit by, of course, Burger King.

UPDATE: Abhi, at Sepia Mutiny, linked to this post, and has thoughtfully advanced the following question: to what extent does BKM demonstrate the isolation of Muslim communities in the West.... [read more]

SECOND UPDATE: The story regarding the opening of BKM is gaining considerable steam, as, for example, The Washington Post, on Friday, August 5, 2005, picked up this Associated Press write-up.