News From : DagangHalal.com (11 Jun 2015)
With the ongoing discussion and “a fair bit of hysteria” in the UK media around the question of Halal and Kosher meat, London-based Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA) has issued a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) to “educate” the media and wider public about what really is halal. iERA is an international organisation committed to educating and informing humanity about, and inviting to, the truth and noble message of Islam. The London-based academy has a dedicated research department; the first of its kind for a Muslim organisation in the West, and conducts research-led initiatives which are developed as projects or ‘models’.
Question 1: What is Halal or Kosher Meat?
Halal and Kosher meat is ritually-slaughtered meat according to Islamic and Judaic religious principles, respectively. There are many similarities between Halal and Kosher Meat. For meat to be lawful for Muslim or Jewish consumption:
– The animal must be healthy and not diseased.
– The animal must be free from injury or defect.
– A prayer is said before the slaughter.
– It must be performed by a competent individual with a surgically sharp knife and not by machine.
– The slaughter involves a single quick incision to the neck, cleanly cutting the jugular vein.
– The blood must be fully drained from the carcass of the animal.
– There are requirements for cleanliness,sanitation, and purity.
Many adherents to this practice contend that the advantage of this method is that it ensures rapid, complete draining of the blood which keeps the meat fresh and free from impurities. They also consider this method to be the least painful and humane method of slaughter for the animal, causing unconsciousness within a couple of seconds.
Question 2: What is Islam’s viewpoint on Animal Welfare?
Under Islamic guidelines, as with Judaic, any undue pain for the animal must be avoided. It is forbidden to treat an animal cruelly during its lifetime or during the slaughter. If the animal is killed by a blow, strangling, electric shock or drowning in water, its meat is not considered permissible.
Islamic practices dictate that the animal is not allowed to be put down in view of other animals neither is the knife to be openly shown to the animal to be slaughtered. This would cause the animals distress and is not best practice.
Although the slaughter of animals is allowed for food consumption, it is strictly forbidden for sport or enjoyment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) often chastised people for the mistreatment of animal and spoke to them about the need for mercy and kindness.
According to Islamic scholars, the method of slaughtering animals in the most correct and humane way must be a method prescribed by God for all times, given that He is All Knowing and All Wise. His commandments have benefits for the whole of humanity as well as for the animal kingdom because He is the Creator of all.
Question 3: Does Halal or Kosher food have any relevance to Christians?
A number of Christian denominations around the world also practise the ritual slaughter of animals in keeping with this Semitic religious tradition. In fact Jesus himself was considered a Jew and part of the Jewish community during his time and would therefore have eaten Kosher meat.
According to Islamic tradition, the practice of religious slaughter is considered to have been carried out by all the prophets of Islam including Jesus Christ, John, Moses, Joseph, Jacob, Lot, Abraham and other Israelite and Ishmaelite prophets (may God’s peace be upon them all).
Many other Islamic practices are also similar to orthodox Christian and Jewish practices, with some still being carried out by many Jewish and Christian religious communities e.g. circumcision.
Question 4: Why is the name of God (Allah) pronounced during the Islamic slaughter?
The name of God (Allah) must be pronounced over the animal as part of the prescribed Islamic method for slaughter. This is a commandment to the Muslims by God in the Qur’an. There are many other reasons including the understanding that this provision has been provided to us by God, so we pronounce His name before the ritual to recognise His blessings and show thankfulness.
Question 5: The problem of stunning
Judaism expressly forbids stunning. Conversely whilst not being considered ideal, stunning, as long as it does not kill the animal in question, is acceptable in Islam. Nevertheless, there are some negative aspects of stunning an animal before it is slaughtered for human consumption. These are as follows:
– Research shows that some animals and poultry die prior to slaughter due to stunning
– Stunning is inhumane to animals and causes unnecessary suffering and distress; there is a high frequency of animals being hit but not falling unconscious, causing further suffering to the animal
– Stunning prevents the drainage of the entire blood from the meat, risking the build-up of bacteria and disease
When administered correctly, ritual slaughtering causes a sudden drop in blood pressure to the brain which renders the animal brain dead within seconds. Many researchers have found this method to be less painful than modern methods of slaughter but opinions are wide and varied. The method is considered to keep the meat fresh and free from impurities.
Question 6: Why should Muslims and Jews be concerned about the recent reports on this subject?
History has shown that we should be very wary of ostracising communities and their religious practices. In fact banning kosher meat was something carried out by Adolf Hitler in order to marginalise the Jewish community in Nazi Germany.
Currently the unnecessary poor media coverage of Muslims is exacerbating the Islamophobic environment in the UK. Attacks on Muslims, and in particular Muslim women, are on the increase. Poor media reporting of the issues could set back community cohesion by many decades causing serious unrest and disharmony amongst large communities who contribute so well to the economy and to the country as a whole.