#against kosher and halal slaughter.

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

i very much do not care for the way peta did “investigative journalism” to “expose” the “evil” “truth” about halal and kosher slaughter.

Especially because some European countries are outlawing both.

This isn’t new, and I’m far from the first one to point it out, but it is absolutely something people need to continue to pay attention to. It’s absolutely being done to attack and dismantle core elements of Jewish and Islamic culture, and it’s being done to sway the Christian public into seeing Jews and Muslims as evil animal torturing savages.

This is an attempt at ethnocide. Enforced assimilation or prosecution. And I will further caution that ethnocide rarely travels without its partner, Genocide.

Don’t let this narrative spread. Learn what these practices entail and why. It is done to minimize discomfort to the animal. While it looks messy to some, it causes very little pain to the animal and death is swift. It follows very specific protocols for a reason. It is forbidden to eat food that was slaughtered poorly and suffered unnecessary pain or fear. If I were raising livestock for human consumption, I would use a similar method to cull simply because a brain can react differently to a stun gun but a throat will tend to react the same to a blade every time.

A practice not looking aesthetic enough for evangelical sensibilities does not mean it’s cruel. People naturally fear the unknown and this is very transparently being weaponized against marginalized groups

#I’ve known about the bans for a while now but I just saw that peta did a smear campaign #against kosher and halal slaughter. #which #is essentially peta doing a smear campaign against Jewish and Muslim people

[whumpacabra]

Butchering

Referenced nightmares, referenced therapy, referenced animal death [meat production], implied past trauma, an aro(?)ace’s poor understanding of romantic/sexual attraction

[Follows Session #1]

Deitelbaum’s was a good place for East to start. It was usually quiet and slow paced, and Joshua - the manager - knew the Holloway Home well. Alister had been working there for months, and was more than happy to help train East. (It was only a matter of time before he moved on to a more permanent job - or at least, one he could pay his own rent with - and Joshua could use the extra hands.)

“Any questions about the slicer?”

“How often is it fully disinfected?” East had surprisingly good questions, as focused and serious as he was doing chores around the house. Alister was relieved Nate agreed it was time the guy got a job - he needed something to throw himself into other than dusting the common room or sorting the laundry.

“He always like this or just first day nerves?” Joshua happened to be there that morning, both to meet East and drop off meat fresh from the butcher. East was currently prepping the cutting boards, brow furrowed and eyes intense as he worked. Alister doubted he even heard them talking about him here at the front of the deli.

“You can see why Nate needed him out of the house - he’s just the same doing chores and stuff at home.” Tierney leaned against the counter, yawning. The sun wasn’t quite over the horizon yet - the deli would open soon, but they probably wouldn’t see customers for another hour or two.

“He’s a good worker.” Alister affirmed, taking a parcel of beef from Joshua. The older gentlemen looked…skeptical wasn’t the right word, perhaps politely concerned?

“Don’t let him over work himself - last thing we want is someone getting hurt.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry J.”

Joshua gave a long suffering look to Alister; Tierney wasn’t the pinnacle of professionalism, but he worked well with the customers. Alister sighed, glancing back at East - hair tied back and stuffed under a hairnet, gloves and apron spotless.

“I’ll let you know if there are any problems.”

—

East was a quick learner, which Alister was thankful for. He didn’t expect so many customers today - was there a holiday coming up he had forgotten? His second guess was that there was a wave of tourists passing through; he didn’t recognize many of the people in the deli.

Things were starting to calm down at the registers, enough that Alister considered stepping back to help East prepare the orders, when a new customer stepped up to the counter. Alister glanced at her and smiled, but his heart had already started to sink.

He had seen a few new immigrants come to the kosher deli, but Joshua usually handled their orders. So when the veiled older woman started to speak, Alister felt embarrassed guilt creep onto his face. He didn’t understand her - but he could tell she was pointing to the lamb behind the counter, and her tone was questioning. Both their frustrations were starting to rise when, to Alister’s surprise, he heard East’s soft rumble behind him.

“She’s asking how it was slaughtered.”

Alister nearly jumped, muttering a curse to himself. East was so quiet for such a large man, a silent shadow hovering over his shoulder.

“Oh. Uh - can - can you tell her it’s kosher, Joshua picks it up from the butcher.” Alister wouldn’t admit he was impressed by the sudden ease in East’s tone as he replied to the woman, the two having a brief back and forth. East’s face was uncharacteristically relaxed, tone almost confident - though, Alister couldn’t be sure, seeing as he didn’t understand the language.

“It’s halal too, right? No blood, killed clean?”

“Yes? Yes - I’ve seen them butcher sheep there.” Alister glanced back at he woman, embarrassment bleeding to curiosity. There were more and more Muslim immigrants with each passing year, but he should have guessed by her headwear she wasn’t Joshua’s usual foreign clientele.

Eventually it seemed East and the woman reached an agreement, and he translated her order to Alister before going to the back and preparing the meat. It was a bit later, during a lull when the shop was quiet, that Tierney dare broach the subject. It was their lunch break - the closed sign temporarily flipped while the three enjoyed a moment’s peace and some prepacked food in the store room.

“Why the hell didn’t you mention you were bilingual? Trying to get out of register work?” Tierney had wolfed down his lunch in minutes, idly waiting for the others to finish.

“Didn’t think it was relevant to cutting up meat.” East mumbled, eating his own sandwich in small bites as though savoring the blandness of ham and cheese.

“Where the hell’d you pick that up? You’re German, ain’t ya?”

“Work.” East stiffened, almost imperceptibly, but Alister could see his grip on the soft bread tighten.

“Right, soldier and stuff - damn. Figured you might know a few phrases and shit, not, like, be fluent.” Tierney rambled, but Alister quirked a brow at the revelation. Military certainly seemed to fit the way East carried himself. (And it could explain the nights Al lay awake praying that the poor bastard would sleep soundly for both their sake’s.)

“Nate never mentioned - ”

East cut him off, words clipped and cold.

“No. He didn’t.”

Alister winced at his tone, eyes flickering between East’s eyes and the floor. He didn’t seem angry, but he did seem agitated. On edge.

“Oh, sorry mate I didn’t mean to - “

“It’s fine. Just don’t like talking about it.”

The quiet that followed wasn’t the most uncomfortable silence Alister had sat through, but it was getting close.

“Thanks, by the way. For jumping in when you did. Worst thing when working the front is telling a customer no.” Alister sighed, cracking open a bottle of coke. Some tension seemed to bleed from East’s shoulders.

“No problem.”

—

A few days later, the woman was back, and East wasn’t there. (Alister almost regretted suggesting Nate find him a therapist - nightmares be damned he did not want to turn this sweet old lady away just because he couldn’t understand her.) But this time, she wasn’t alone.

There was a younger woman with her, and for a brief moment, Alister forgot his anxieties. He had known his fair share of beautiful women - he had childhood crushes, unreciprocated flirting, and a few short lived trysts. But he had to admit, this attraction was new. He couldn’t see the shape of her legs, hidden in the folds of a long black skirt, or the curve of her chest, hidden behind the thick plush of a winter coat. Ever her hair, wrapped and covered in a simple purple headscarf, was hidden from him.

And while he could see her soft lips, her dark eyes - that was not what enraptured him. It was her poise, the grace and confidence with which she carried herself. Like royalty, or a soldier leading the charge. He almost didn’t realize she was already standing at the register, speaking to him.

“Excuse me? Sorry, I’m not sure if you recognize her - my mother - “

“Yeah. The - the lamb the other day. I remember her.” Alister gave a shy smile to the older woman, who was muttering in her own language to her daughter. She glanced back at her mother, an embarrassed smile of her own creeping onto her face.

“Well, we just wanted to thank you - the lamb was amazing and she wanted to let you know she’ll be buying whatever meat she gets from here from now on.”

“Oh - oh it’s, it’s my job, ma’am - “

“Jasmine; my mother is Hanan.”

“Ah, well, nice to meet you both. Um, I’m Al.”

“So your name tag says.”

“Oh - right. Right, ah, well East - he was the one that helped, uh, translate between us - he’s not here today but I’ll be sure to pass it in to him. That you’re grateful.”

“We’d appreciate that.” Jasmine’s eyes were laughing at him, and Alister knew a blush was flushing his face pink. Why was he such a dunce all of a sudden?

Hanan whispered something to her daughter, and - he probably imagined it - but he swore Jasmine’s cheeks seemed to warm as her eyebrows shot up in surprise before she muttered a reply he didn’t understand.

“Well, um, we’ll take the same order as last time - please.”

“No problem, Tierney over there will ring you up and I’ll - I’ll get right to it.”

—

“You have no game. When was the last time you talked to a bird?”

“Can it, O’Hare.”

[Before Unlocked Cage]

(Part of my Freelancers: Changing Tides series)

Taglist: @stargeode @sacredwrath

#whump #recovery #nightmares #therapy #past trauma #animal death #food production #freelancers #no proofreading we die like Elias. strangled by the hand of our brother to escape hell the only way we know how. #listen. listen this subplot is important even if idk how to cleanly introduce it. #coming to terms w the fact that I’m more aro than I thought. wtf is a crush supposed to be like??? #whatever. East works in a deli. Alister has a crush on a hijabi customer. tierney is a little shit. let me project on all my ocs pls.

[mynameisgoliath]

One day I was standing on the side of a road that passes by the the main shopping AND tourist centre in Jerusalem and culminates at the Western Wall. It was, as I'm sure you can imagine, full of cars.

A tourist stopped to ask me directions. I chatted with her a bit, and then she asked me how Israelis get around. Do they all use camels?

She couldn't see a Middle Eastern country using cars and so, in her head, all those cars passing by belonged to tourists.

That sounds weird, and it is, but, while it was the weirdest question I got it wasn’t the only one in a similar vein: Do you have running water? Do you have electricity, air conditioners? Do children all ride donkeys to school?

The majority of the people asking these questions were Christian and all were from Europe, the US, or Australia.

Those type of tourists are also likely to donate money to Israel.

So where is this discrepancy coming from?

I think there are two things.

1. Christians need Jews in Israel so their prophecy of the Second Coming and the End of Days can come true. Simple and well-know.

However, I think there's also a second reason that affects also non-Christians and people on both sides of the political spectrum:

2. The idea of the Noble Savage.

That idea mostly described Native Americans in Western literature, though it branched out sometimes to describe other people who weren't Western/European.

What is this trope?

The idea that the native person is in touch with nature and so has an innate goodness/innocence/naivete that a 'civilized' person from the West doesn't have.

But of course they're still a savage and Western civilization is better which lets it triumph.

How do I think this trope affects Westerners in regards to Israel?

1. (Evangelical often but not only) Christians view Jews as a sort of historical version of this: Jews have innate ties to the history of Christianity since Christianity developed off of Judaism, but obviously Christianity is better and more civilized.*

2. Pro-Palestinian Westerners view Palestinians as people with native ties to the Land, but they need help fighting against the Big Bad Westerners (the Jews).** Sometimes they don't even know what's good for them and the Westerners have to step in.

*These can both affect people who don't fit (perfectly) into these categories. For instance, the insistence by Western animal rights activists and/or vegans that Kosher and Halal slaughtering is cruel, despite the fact that the animal must be healthy and killed in one slice, is an effect of the first category.

**Palestinians do have ties to the land, I'm not here to deny that. Jews also have ties to the land. This post isn't about who is more right (false dichotomy) but about how Westerners biases about the Middle East, Israel, Jews and Arabs affects how they look at this subject.

#israel #jumblr #palestine

[will-o-the-witch]

Hey Rabbit can Jews eat halal food since Muslims can eat Kosher food? Mind you the Shia version of halal is closer to the Jewish Kosher than the Sunni halal. (Most shias dont eat crabs and clams, but many sunnis do, but neither eat pork.)

There can be overlap but not all halal food is automatically kosher nor is all kosher food automatically halal! Halal doesn't have any restrictions on food combinations like kosher does, but they DO have a prohibition against cooking alcohol which kosher does not. Some types or cuts of meat can be eaten by one diet but not the other, such as rabbits. The slaughtering methods are similar but not exactly the same, but some people will still call it good because it's close enough. Like most things it really depends on how you interpret the rules and how strictly you follow them!

[veganandvegetarianlife]

Vegetarianism and Religion

Adhering to a vegetarian diet is central to many religions. Buddhism shows kindness to all living things and its believers hold many animals to be scared for what they provide to humans, whether it is milk or as work animals to help plough fields.

Followers of Christianity had different views when it came to being a vegetarian. Christians believe that humans reign over all other living things on Earth, meaning that they believe that animals are here for their use, whether that means as beasts of burden or as a food source.

However, that does not mean that all Christians are carnivores. Throughout history, different sects of Christians have broken with the mainstream beliefs and preached a vegetarian lifestyle. Vegetarianism played a key role for Christians in Eastern Europe; among these groups were the Bogomils that rose up in the 900’s in what is now modern day Bulgaria.

The Bogomils were seen as heretics because they spoke out against what they saw as the excesses of monasteries and the Eastern Orthodox Church; they rejected the physical world and forswore the consumption of eggs, meat, and cheese that led them to lead a vegetarian lifestyle.

While not all Hindu’s practice vegetarianism, a substantial portion of the followers of the religion, up to 35 percent, adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle. Those that live as vegetarians believe that the idea of non-violence applies to animals and that by avoiding the slaughter of animals they will not bring bad karma upon their family.

The influence of vegetarianism on the Hindu religion came from its predecessor Brahmanism, in which violence against animals was strictly controlled, with its scriptures only allowing the slaughter of animals for religious sacrifice.

In Addition, the Brahmanism views are also expressed in the Hindu law book the Dharmaśāstra, which denounced the slaughter of animals and the consumption of meat unless it was performed in a proper religious sacrifice performed by priests.

Today, the slaughter of animals based on these principles has almost come to an end.

Other major religions throughout the world to include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have followers that adhere to a vegetarian diet, but the religions do not have a strict policy concerning the consumption of animals.

However, when it comes to Judaism and Islam, followers of these religions will not consume meat unless it has been slaughtered through the traditional halal method for Muslims and kosher method for followers of Judaism. While both of these religions allow their followers to eat meat that has been prepared in the proper manner, they both avoid eating pork, and meat from carnivorous animals to include birds of prey.

Photo by Pedro Lima on Unsplash

#vegetarian #religion

[emptyheadgamer]

Anyone who’s against halal or kosher slaughter on ‘moral grounds’ is a fuckhead and I don’t intend on giving a shit about their poor little feelings, I’d actually rather an animal not feel any pain when it’s slaughtered than have it die screaming you fucking nitwit.

Well I don't know the details of kosher slaughter off the top of my head, and I'm not doing research to respond to someone who went so far back in my post history I can't find the post you are referring to.

I do know that halal slaughter involves bleeding out an animal by slicing its throat while it still lives, a process that is demonstrably painful to anyone watching despite what certain religious leaders claim, and am opposed to the practice. I personally hold that religious freedom does not grant the moral rights to cause unnecessary suffering.

But you don't care about that because that post is from years ago and you are just looking for any shit you can fling at the wall.

#ehg answers

[thejewishlink]

EU conference encourages Jews, Muslims to defend kosher and halal slaughter

EU conference encourages Jews, Muslims to defend kosher and halal slaughter

Special conference hosted in Brussels invites European Jews and Muslims to push back against regional bans on kosher and halal slaughter bans. But some say the event was ‘too little, too late.’ By World Israel News Staff The European Union hosted a first-of-its kind event last week, aimed at encouraging European Jews and Muslims to challenge local and regional restrictions on traditional forms of…

View On WordPress

#European Union #Halal Slaughter #Kosher Slaughter #Traditional Religious Meat Production

[unbakehisbeans]

I’m so offended when people use halal/kosher as like an argument against veganism. Like so often it is these weird non-Jewish, non-Muslim people who haven’t bothered to like…learn how halal/kosher slaughter works. Like, they don’t know shit and I just find it offensive. Like, okay you’re appropriating culture that you know nothing about to justify your own shitty behavior?

[koshmat]

All the anti vegan arguments on here are just so... stupid

if you're going to defend animal abuse then at least please bother to read the most basic definition of veganism so you don't make more a fool of yourself than you already are

#im not exaggerating when i say that i still haven't been able to not refute any of the arguments people throw at me lmao #veganism is probably the easiest thing to understand #and still #no one in this fucking website seems to understand it #whats so hard to understand about 'against profiting off animals?' #remember when someone was insinuating i was an imperialist for being vegan #that was a hell of an argument lmao #they claimed halal and kosher meat should be considered vegan bc people honor the cows before slitting their throats #the peta discourse... #the 'happy cows don't make milk so farmers treat them like babies' #i fucking wish they treated them like babies #but instead they forcefully impregnate them #then take the calfs aways from the mother #~bc the mothers safety~ #and if theyre a male calf they get send off to a slaughter house #and if they're a female they have the same destiny as their mother #like idk thats not how i treat babies??? or even my pets? #remember that ~flipping the vegan argument switch~ or wtv post #nfjdhshhsbahzhs that's one of my faves yet #oh and the save the bees but apparently only the ones that make honey #bc they're totally not an invasive species (idk if that's the right word im too tired to think today) #now people seem to be interested in the wool debate #another pretty fucking stupid one #like do you all honestly think the wool 99% of the population buys #comes from sheep that are not damaged and tortured in the process? #lmao... such an innocent thought #but in fact is not innocent at all because its harming millions of sheeps every years #because you all are too selfish to care

[thoughts-of-a-heathen]

So I really don't want to start something, but I recently saw a post claiming that Nordiska Asa-samfundet (NAS) is the best/most serious heathen organisation in Sweden. I can't seem to find the original post, but I also can't let this one slide. Because the thing is, NAS is sketchy. And I think you should be careful if/when you choose to interact with them.

Now, I don't think that everyone who is in this organisation is a nazi. But they literally had a high priest who was. Sure, they kicked him out, but only after he'd publicly posted about scientific racism (as in "science tells us that some races are inferior") on social media. I think it's a bit naive to assume that the organisation had no idea of his politics prior to this.

Especially considering the large amount of dog whistles on the NAS website.

Like their arbitrary rules for food.

"We don't eat food that has been consecrated to other gods or religions."

There's no historical evidence of Norse heathens avoiding food that had been consecrated to other gods. The purpose of this is to take a stance against halal and kosher, without having to say it out loud (again, dog whistle). Halal slaughter in particular is often used by Swedish racists to justify islamophobia.

Then there's the fact that they sell these in their webshop:

The runes themselves aren't racist, but the combination of Algiz, Othala and Tiwaz is, to put it mildly, suspicious.

This take on women:

(It essentially says that women should have the same rights as a man, but that women and med can have different interestests and purposes in life, and that these should be considered to be if equal value and encouraged.)

In a Swedish context, it's very weird for a religious group to say stuff like this. It could be poor wording, or a dog whistle for the "(white) women are valuable because they give birth to (white) children".

Their take on Loke is gross:

"that he is a jötunn by blood makes it hard for him to behave himself, and he often causes problems for himself and others. He seems to be jealous and untrustworthy."

Bloodlines determine the way people act? Where have I heard of that idea before?

NAS seems to believe that the Viking raids were part of a religious war. (They weren't.)

They also claim that the Swedish word "folklig" has the same connotations as Folkish/Völkish. Which is not the case. Like, at all.

In Swedish, the word "folklig" means popular, characteristic of the people, beloved by the people, simple, folksy, vernacular, affable etc. NAS claims that "folklig" has negative connotations. This isn't true. Folklig is a positive word.

Ett folkligt stöd = the entire population supports (something).

Den folkliga uppfattningen = the popular opinion

Folklig has _never_ been associated with racism, Nazi ideology or the term Folkish, and the fact that NAS claims it to be is very strange. Almost like they're trying to force some kind of narrative...

And finally, NAS hasn't signed declaration 127. Which they should've. It's quite well-known among Swedish heathens. Other heathen organisations have signed it.

Other heathen organisations in Sweden typically won't let you become a member if you don't denounce racism, xenophobia, sexism, ableism, transphobia and homophobia. Because they know perfectly well that heathenry attracts white supremacists. And they don't want bigots in their circles.

These are just some of the reasons why I personally wouldn't ever want to be involved with NAS.

Syftet med den här posten är inte att döma er som missat signalerna. Hela poängen med dog whistles är att man bara ska märka dem om man är insatt, vilket de flesta inte är.

Och om någon från NAS ledning mot förmodan skulle råka läsa detta:

Som man bäddar får man ligga. Ni behöver inte tala om för mig, eller någon annan, att ni inte är rasister. Er ståndpunkt framgår med all önskvärd tydlighet av det faktum att ni inte skrivit på declaration 127. Tschüss!

#heathenry #Scandinavian heathens #Scandinavian heathenry #forn sed #forn siðr #paganism #norse heathen #norse heathenry

[nolabballgirl]

setting the stage for yasmina’s season on islamophobia in belgium because i haven’t seen much discussion on this yet:

so clearly islamophobia is on the rise across europe, and belgium is no exception. according to reports from last month, not only has islamophobia steadily increased since the 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels but hijabis, like yasmina, are at particular risk for discrimination, harassment, and violence. according to the Belgian Centre against Islamophobia, many of these incidents take place in the school setting.

in terms of schools we know that yasmina isn’t allowed to wear her hijab at school. and per this article from 2021, there is still no federal legislation that protects the right of muslim women to wear the headscarf in universities across belgium, as yasmina looks to the future.

i’m curious to hear from belgian muslims once the season starts about their experiences because this report on islamophobia in belgium published in 2020 says that flanders/flemish region of belgium, where yasmina lives, has some of the most islamophobic politicians and policies in the country, including bans on halal/zabiha/kosher slaughter (does this mean you have to travel outside of these regions just to buy meat?!) and it only seems to be getting worse.

anyway, there’s so much to unpack and so many potential storylines for yasmina as we have gotten pretty much next to nothing for her through 4 seasons and wtfockdown. and she deserves a lot more than manufactured drama over a non-muslim love interest that’s been done to death by most other remakes. obviously, not expecting much here but the season could be so powerful - the pieces are there; you just need the willingness to put it all together.

#wtfock #yasmina ait omar #islamophobia #pre-season thoughts

[vegance]

Hi! Could you expand on the anti-islamophobia / anti-nazi post? Obviously I oppose religious & racial prejudice, including nazism and islamophobia. But I do oppose halal slaughter and kosher slaughter, just as much as I oppose every other kind of animal slaughter. Would love to get a deeper dive into what you meant in the original post — what problems were you seeing & calling out?

certain right wing groups are being islamophobic/antisemitic under the guise of animal welfare.

basically, they go on an on about the "babaric" forms of slaughter in certain religions and cultures, and try to gain a wider audience through that, and try to hide behind these arguments (while still eating meat/animal products temselves).

kind of the same way that some right wing groups try to rally against refugees by accusing all of them of homophobia and sexism, which is rich coming from, you know... nazis. their real goal is always doing harm to these groups.

so i just meant that we need to be careful not to let these groups appropriate this movement. that doesnt mean that i think that any form of slaughter is morally ok. but like you said, its all bad, but its not bad just because a certain group of people are doing it. it is bad because it causes suffering and harm

#hope that answered your question? #i'm always interested what others think about this #ask

[ms-hells-bells]

there was an article some time ago on reddit about how a few countries in the eu were "banning" halal/kosher slaughter and a lot of people were pissed. it turned out, too, that hte title was misconstruing the whole situation. they werent forbidding halal/kosher practices, period, they were condemning slaughter w/out stunning but apparently the animal "has" to be fully conscious so ppl were crying religious freedom to... kill animals. its so hard to criticize this shit without getting hounded.

liberals and religious people have no grounds for criticising me because i apply my morals consistently and am against all of it. you can't pull the islamophobe card when i'm against stun killing as well lol. one of the best parts about being vegan, the lack of hypocrisy it's like those omnivores who protest against dog and cat eating.

[nargisfirdous]

Halal-   Religion vs Science

 Millions of animals are being slaughtered inhumanely for halal meat, which requires draining blood in the name of religion. However, many would argue that animals have no rights at all, but there is a strong interest in protecting and respecting life and recognising the rights of animals in society.

UK Government guidance states with few exceptions (halal and kosher), all animals must be stunned before "sticking" (neck cutting using a very sharp knife), ensuring rapid blood loss and, therefore, death. Halal means lawful or permitted unless prohibited by Quran or Sunnah in Arabic. However, in the UK slaughterhouses, the Quran is engraved on the blade, and no one is standing there reciting Shahada (Quranic verse). I wonder if anyone would be able to tell the difference if presented with a meat dish from stunned and non-stunned animals? Would it taste different? Not. How many shops sell non-halal as halal by putting the poster of halal in the window. So why cause so much anxiety and stress for the animal. Religious freedom gives you the option to choose, so why not choose stunning.

 There is criticism about Islamic ritual slaughter, but Muslim authorities say the method is humane. In Islam, animals are home reared, sacrificing something you love, as  Prophet Ibrahim did, but now people buy from the cattle market. How can this method be humane when adults restrain the animal before slaughter, causing anxiety, stress and fear? 

 Science and the latest development in technology humanely promote slaughter. Why not make use of resources available for the welfare of the animals? Halal Monitoring Committee supports the traditional slaughter, and any use of machinery is against halal criteria. Although some Muslim scholars have sanctioned stunning as permissible for halal, on the other hand, the HFA health food authority approves the use of machines and stunning electrically before slaughter. There is a risk of bleeding; blood retention instead of complete drainage can alter the chemical structure and release of the hormone in tissues. This process of slaughter makes the meat haram.

I can't entirely agree with stunning methods because no one can tell the level of discomfort or pain felt with voltage. However, there has been development in technology to minimise pain and anxiety. Would not the most effective method be one that renders the animal into a state of unconsciousness first? Some argue that stunning only paralyses the animal making it impossible to know the pain threshold. I agree with this. The RSPCA is pressing for the law changes for animal welfare at slaughter, requesting Jewish and Muslim communities to review their slaughter practices. It is difficult for a state to intervene as there is a substantial economic loss if banned and better to accommodate religious belief. The slaughterhouses can achieve Religious obligations humanely with the help of science and technology. 

[severelynerdysheep]

Hi! You recently shared a post of mine and I'd just like to clear up a few things. We British farmers are incredibly proud of our welfare standards and the quality of which we uphold our commitment to high welfare and happy lives of animals. Non-stun slaughter is actually illegal in the UK so these lambs won't be strung up and our sheep are used to protect Christmas trees not used for meat! Anymore questions please send my way, I wouldn't want false information going around!

Hi, and apologies in advance for the upcoming length of this answer, there's a fair bit to talk about. 

So first I think it's important to keep in mind that while you and other farmers can feel as proud of your actions as you would like. The truth is that you are still exploiting, abusing, and murdering sentient beings for profit. In the words of former farmer Bob Comis, “Livestock farmers, no matter what kind — from the largest, most cynical, and inhumane factory farmers to the smallest, seemingly most ethical pasture-based farmers — traffic in death. It is death that is our aim, our purpose. Death is the end. Life is the means. Money the reward.” 

And a few more quotes from former “high welfare standard” farmers on whether their animals live happy high welfare lives, putting aside for the moment that the overwhelming majority of animals exploited, abused and slaughtered in the UK are factory farmed:

“In my experience, there is no such thing as humane animal products, humane farming practices, humane transport, or humane slaughter.”

“Humane labels still designate animal lives as so inherently inferior and existentially worthless that breeding, exploiting, and killing them for completely unnecessary reasons can still be embraced, celebrated even, as “ethical” and “humane.”

“I would tell everyone, “They have a really great life, up until they no longer have one.” It makes me cringe now to type that. I wholeheartedly believed in the “humane slaughter” myth.”

“ And even worse, even though I soon learned that sheep all have individual personalities, are SMART, and definitely form bonds with one another, show joy, fear, friendship–every human emotion–I still did not make the connection.” 

 I would also like to note that this “high welfare/happy” animal farming idea is !00% a myth. In even the “highest welfare” British farms, animals are forcibly bred into existence to live their too-short lives trapped in genetically engineered bodies that are ravaged by their size and/or forced overproduction of babies and milk (or in the case of sheep, both babies and the wool they grow as a result of genetic engineering which results in many health issues for these animals) till they are either “spent” (in the case of sheep, they are “spent” from their reproductive systems being exploited or they are no longer profitable enough for their wool) or reach ”market weight” and are slaughtered for profit. This is fundamentally unjustifiable and unethical, and to use the term “high welfare” or “happy lives” to describe this is frankly outrageous and deeply disturbing. 

And let's not forget that the “high welfare” “and happy lives” these animals are living include forced impregnation, stealing babies away from mothers, routine mutilations without anesthetic, the murder of newborns and young animals, unnatural and cruel living conditions, denial of important instinctive behaviors and preferences and brutal transport and slaughter conditions. And yes, this includes in sheep farming, as I explained in my original response. And also yes, all these cruel practices take place on every farm form the biggest factory farm to the smallest, highest regulated local British family farm. 

And a great article by @acti-veg here. 

And an excerpt from a fantastic talk below: 

“We turn these living beings into data points, flowcharts, and percentages—calculate to a decimal point’s certainty the exact cost of every aspect of their lives and details for their deaths. We relegate the annual mass murder of over 3 billion day-old conscious, innocent babies to a footnote. A footnote in a study conducted for the welfare regulations we’re so graciously creating. We deem them legally sentient, deserving freedom from hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain, injury, disease, fear, distress and mental suffering, as the EU did—then use this very recognition of their capacity to feel the same emotions and sensations as we do to design—in language so disturbingly detached it’s nothing short of sociopathic—the exact manner in which we may legally violate, imprison, cut, burn, alter, and murder them.

This is how profoundly illogical our thinking is when it comes to animals. It goes against all basic human understanding. Knowing better but doing wrong anyway is worse than having no knowledge. Yet we have the audacity to hold this legislative recognition of non-human sentience on high as a giant step forward for the rights of animals. As if systematically exploiting individuals with fully admitted knowledge and comprehension of their capacity to suffer is something to commend.

Look what we offer ourselves as evidence of progress: one news report extolled the reduction in animals slipping and falling on their way to slaughter in one abattoir in one country. When we look at our actions from the other side, the perverse absurdity of our deluded self-congratulations is astounding. If you were in the place of these beings, how grateful would you feel if your captor laid down a bathmat on the ramp to your execution?

Is this really the best we have to offer? Being the most courteous murderers? The most considerate rapists? Pouring untold resources into these convoluted laws and regulations, all the while completely blind to the fact that there’s another option entirely”

The whole video:

You say that the sheep you farm are not murdered for their flesh. Are you trying to say that you don't send lambs or sheep of any age to slaughterhouses? You let them all live out their natural lifespans, caring for them till they die of old age>

And when it comes to slaughter, yes these animals are strung upsidedown to have their throats slit open. It's also not illegal to slaughter these animals without stunning in cases such as halal and kosher slaughter. But let's say that every single animal is slaughtered painlessly, this doesn't make this needless taking of life justifiable. @acti-veg has a great article here explaining why this is the case. It's important to recognize that the idea of some sort of ethical or even “humane” slaughter (which you seem to be implying is the case) is an oxymoronic marketing term designed to make people feel good about supporting something that is inherently immoral, taking the life of an innocent, sentient being for an unnecessary purpose. 

 But if we want to talk about the actual stunning of these animals for a moment, while stunning is supposed causes a temporary loss of consciousness. The MHS says that the interval between stunning and knifing can be as high as 70 seconds for sheep. Another study found that the average interval was 21 seconds. Sheep take an average of 14 seconds to lose brain responsiveness if both carotid arteries (the major arteries that supply blood to the head) are cut. UK law only requires one carotid artery to be cut and in this case, sheep take an average of 70 seconds to lose brain responsiveness. Yet an electric head-only stun only lasts between 20 and 40 seconds. This means that an estimated 4 million lambs/sheep will regain consciousness each year before they die and there is a lot of video footage showing lambs/sheep regaining consciousness as they bleed to death after being stung upside down to have their throats slit. 

And when only one carotid artery is cut, sheep are often still alive after the required 20 seconds bleed out time, which means they are literally skinned alive, in British slaughterhouses. Researchers at Bristol University found that after an electric stun, sheep have periods of being fully aware of their surroundings i.e. they can still feel fear and they are conscious whilst hanging upside down on the killing rail, bleeding to death. They could not prove whether the electricity has an immediate effect and Dr Harold Hillman, Director of the Unity Laboratory of Applied Neurobiology has stated that when animals are stunned, they actually suffer extreme pain, they are simply unable to cry out or move because the massive electric current paralyzes them. So the stunning itself, which you are promoting as being an example of “high British welfare” is itself immensely cruel. 

And I will link to some more info below for anyone reading this, my askbox is also always open if anyone has any questions. 

~ Report on the British “high welfare” sheep farming industry

~ Fully referenced fact sheet here

~ Investigation into “high welfare” UK sheep farms and another here

~ Article form the guardian

~ Stress response in sheep during handling

~ Impact of lambing on sheep

~ Lamb slaughter ages

#wool #sheep #lambs #farming #animal agriculture #welfarism

[creepingsharia]

Michigan: Dearborn Public Schools Spark Protest by Adopting All Halal Meat Policy

...halal meat is being imposed on non-Muslims, at taxpayer expense.

An update on this post: All the meat in Dearborn schools is now halal, i.e., sharia compliant… at taxpayer expense

The Dearborn Public Schools website states it matter-of-factly: "Dearborn Public Schools ensures all meats served in our schools are certified Halal."  Now one courageous mother is fighting back, challenging Dearborn public school officials to explain why they have done this and to provide options for students who object to halal food.

The mother wrote to Dearborn schools superintendent Glenn Maleyko, noting, "Schools have never changed lunches to fit any other religious needs.  If one needed a special diet due to religion or health, they did what all other students do, bring a lunch from home."

Maleyko responded: "The decision was based on operational considerations only, not religion.  By implementing an all Halal meat option we have increased the number of students that we are serving[.] ... It would cost a lot more to provide both Halal and non-Halal meat."

In the long run, the superintendent will find it far, far costlier to have capitulated to Islamic supremacism and set this precedent.

Dearborn's actions here should be a matter of concern for all free people.  This is a manifestation of the Left's absolute march, without consideration or question, toward exclusionary, supremacist practices that any genuinely pluralistic society should reject.  Dearborn Public Schools officials are demonstrating a totalitarian assuredness in the delusional comfort of enlightenment, diversity, and inclusion.  They're in for an unpleasant surprise: they're accommodating a radically non-diverse, non-inclusive 

Dearborn's policy is discriminatory against non-Muslim students of numerous perspectives, some having to do with different faith traditions.  There may be any number of reasons why people don't want halal meat.  They may object to halal slaughter for humanitarian reasons or because they are concerned for animal rights.  Evangelical Christians may consider it meat sacrificed to idols, as discussed in the New Testament.  Jews are obliged to keep kosher, not eat halal food.  Still others may object to the fact that many halal certification organizations have links to jihad terror groups.

In light of all this, Dearborn should rescind its halal-only policy so as to make its schools truly inclusive and diverse, accepting of all students, not just Muslim students.

But that is unlikely to happen.  This initiative is already very far advanced.  If you're in Europe, and in many areas in America as well, the meat you are eating is probably halal, unless you're keeping kosher.  In a little-known strike against freedom, yet again, we are being forced into consuming meat slaughtered by means of a barbaric, torturous and inhuman method: Islamic slaughter.

Where were the PETA clowns and the ridiculous celebs who pose naked on giant billboards for PETA and "animal rights"?  They would rather see people die of cancer or AIDS than see animals used in drug testing, but torturous and painful Islamic slaughter is OK.

Many people have written to me saying they simply won't eat halal meat, as they object to the methods used to slaughter the animal.  And I agree.  The sharia term for halal slaughter is dhakat.  Dhakat is to slaughter an animal by cutting the trachea, the esophagus, and the jugular vein, letting the blood drain out while saying, "Bismillah allahu akbar" — in the name of Allah the greater.

Seventy percent of New Zealand lamb imported into the United Kingdom is halal.  It is not labeled as such, so people are eating halal without even knowing it.  But people there are fighting back: when halal food was imposed on public schools in the United Kingdom in 2007, parents were in an uproar.  And in March 2010, Stop Islamization of Europe (SIOE), the sister organization to my group SIOA, called for the cessation of mandatory consumption of halal meat on the continent.

In the United States, a great deal of meat sold in this country is already halal but is not labeled is such.  It's a scandal, but an established practice: meatpackers generally do not separate halal meat from non-halal meat and not do not label halal meat as such.  We attempted to right that wrong.  But the U.S. Department of Agriculture has for four years now ignored, shelved, or just plain refused to rule on our petition.

As many Americans do not, for a variety of reasons, wish to eat halal meat, back in February 2012, my organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), filed a citizen petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, asking that a regulation be enacted to ensure that all halal food be clearly labeled as halal.  In April 2012, we agreed not to publicize our petition in order to give the agency some space to review the document without any pressure from the public.

On May 11, 2012, we had a face-to-face meeting in the USDA offices with top FSIS officials.  We discussed this petition and the need for halal meat to be clearly labeled.  Present at this meeting was Dan Engeljohn, a longtime USDA official who is now assistant administrator for the Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) in the FSIS.  This position made him responsible for FSIS regulations.

Engeljohn and company had years to rule on our petition.  They never did a thing.  They just let it die on the table and stonewalled our repeated requests for an explanation.

As far back as October 2010, I reported on little noted but explosive revelations that much of the meat in Europe and the United States was being processed as halal without the knowledge of the non-Muslim consumers who bought it.

Then, in November 2011, I penned an article that caused a firestorm across the political spectrum, revealing that Butterball turkeys were all halal but were not labeled as such. Heads exploded on the Left — not over Butterball's deception, but over my having the audacity to reveal it.  The clueless and compromised on the right were enraged as well: John Podhoretz tweeted, "I'd tell Pamela Geller to put a sock in it, but the sock might be halal."

I was, of course, excoriated as a racist Islamophobic anti-Muslim bigot.  In reality, however, we have no objection to halal meat being sold, as long as it is clearly labeled as such, and as long as non-halal meat is available.

And now, all these years later, halal meat is being imposed on non-Muslims.  The Dearborn mother responded to Maleyko's bland rejection of her concerns but at press time had not heard back from the superintendent.  Will he respond?  Will he take her concerns seriously?  And even more importantly, is this diversity?  Is this inclusion?  This is Islamic supremacism and totalitarianism.

#Sharia #Education #Immigration #Legal #News #Finance #Politics #Islam #Muslim