Would you be annoyed if school went 100% halal meat?

[Wintershealing]

The school I work at has a new head teacher who has announced from after half term all meat needs to be halal. She says it's a more ethical way to slaughter animals (she's vegan herself) and no non-halal meat will be on offer. She said anyone who doesn't want it can bring a packed lunch.

I don't know much about halal meat other than it's religious connections. What do you think?

@Btowngirlno the head isn't Muslim. She's very into social justice and all that. She can't under (just coming from London schools) why the school isn't completely halal. We aren't in London.

It wouldn't bother me at all.

Slaughterhouse practices are pretty shocking with or without Halal practices, and the mere addition of some prayers doesn't create offence for me.

Honestly, to believers the ritual element makes a positive difference; to non-believers it is literally meaningless and therefore totally cost free. I'd feel that way whichever faith is involved. It feels churlish and petty to get worked up about this.

Did I read some time ago that there is a high correlation between serial killers/murders and those that work in abattoirs?

I hope you mean secular?!

Yeah living int a sectarian country isnt that great for anyone!!

Op has clearly made this thread for our regular Muslim bashing episode on MN. It’s been done to death.

You have absolutely no idea and are clearly very ignorant.

Muslim countries generally also have significant Christian communities and churches. There is more of an awareness in the Middle East that these religions all came from the same place and that Christianity is older than Islam in these places. Have a read of this so you can stop embarrassing yourself - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_Middle_East

It’s valid to want clarity about what goes into your food and what it represents. I’d like to gently offer a bit of context about the idea of God in different religions, particularly the three Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

All three are monotheistic religions, meaning they worship one God, the same God of Abraham. While each religion has different teachings and views on prophets, they all trace their spiritual roots back to the same divine source.

• Christians believe in God as revealed through Jesus Christ, who is seen as the Son of God and Saviour.
• Muslims believe in the same God (referred to in Arabic as Allah, which simply means “God”), and they honour Jesus (Isa) as a prophet, but not as divine. They follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as the final messenger.
• Jews also worship the same God, but do not accept Jesus or Muhammad as prophets, sticking to the teachings of the Torah and prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

So when a Muslim says a prayer over food, it’s not a prayer to a “different” God. It’s a recognition of the same Creator, approached through their faith tradition. It’s not a ritual meant to convert or disrespect others. It’s about being mindful and giving thanks to God for the provision of food.

You’re not wrong to want your beliefs respected. Everyone deserves that. But halal meat, for example, isn’t “dedicated to another god.” It’s dedicated to God — the same one Christians believe in — just through a different religious practice.

We all differ on theology and religious figures, but it’s worth remembering that what unites the big three faiths is far greater than what divides them. At the very least, understanding this can help us live with mutual respect, even when we disagree.

I honestly can't believe how upset some posters are that their meat has been 'prayed over'. Do you actually think it changes the meat? Are you getting it mixed up with spraying pesticides or something? You are attributing much more power to the prayer than actual believers do. Either that, or you are just looking for an excuse to be angry about faith. It's not as if you are being required to participate in any practice whatsoever. It's not like being made to say grace before a meal, for example.

100% this.

I’d be furious if this was my kids school, and I would make my feelings known loudly.

Seen a few comments saying 80% halal is stunned anyway. That may well be the case, I don’t know, but what about the other 20%? Those animals are being needlessly prevented an unconscious death just because it’s easier to feed non Muslims halal?! Not a good enough reason in my opinion, it’s just laziness.

It’s a troll that’s why.

Probably.

Top 3 Skilled Serial-Killer Occupations: 1. Aircraft machinist/assembler; 2. Shoemaker/repair person; 3. Automobile upholsterer
— Top 3 Semi-Skilled Serial Killer Occupations: 1. Forestry worker/arborist; 2. Truck driver; 3. Warehouse manager
— Top 3 Unskilled Serial Killer Occupations: 1. General labourer (mover, landscaper, et. al.); 2. Hotel porter; 3. Gas station attendant
— Top 3 Professional/Government Serial Killer Occupations: 1. Police/security official; 2. Military personnel; 3. Religious official

I wouldn't bother explaining. A few people have tried already and they clearly are too ignorant to actually understand properly.

And I'm also a Christian btw so the accusation of Christian bashing from that person is ridiculous 😅

@BluntPlumHam not at all. It's to understand and have a grown up debate on the need to push meat which has religious undertones upon a schools, in particular one school which only has one student requiring a halal meal.

Is there a neuropsychiatric reason for your lack of remorse, or are you just not a very nice person?

I mean it's meat. In order to eat it an animal has to be killed.
So the slaughter house it comes from should be following all hygiene/health and safety laws that are required and there should be clear knowledge of where the meat is coming from (remember the horse meat scandal....?).
That's what I meant. An animal is going to die. The method - if it's legal - isn't my concern.

I would only object if the animal was not stunned before slaughter but that is rare now in the uk I believe.

If other faiths had rituals around the slaughter of animals then that might be an issue but otherwise I dont think its a problem, religion wise.

Is there anything in the bible about how meat must be slaughtered? If not, maybe we can assume it doesn't matter in that faith?

It’s insane… ‘I’m a Christian’ - Dude, it’s the same God 🙄😂

If people object to the halal meat and opt more for the vegetarian options then in time she can have less meat on the menu and have a push toward a more veggie/vegan menu.

That seems a more likely aim than her actually wanting more halal meat on the menu.

I honestly can't believe how upset some posters are that their meat has been 'prayed over'

I wonder how you'd test for it in lab ? Some sort of litmus test ? If the strip goes blue it's Muslim, iif it goes yellow it's Christian ? And tartan if you are testing a haggis ?

You can get soil association organic meat which slaughters the animal ethically without stress

I couldn’t give a rats ass tbh. I don’t care if it was Halal, Kosher or blessed by mr blobby as long as its meat from a clean place that does everything above board!

A chicken will still taste the same whether it’s Halal or not.

It’s not ‘meat’ until it’s been killed. Up until that point it’s a living sentient being.

So, just to clarify, you make no distinction between an animal having their throat slit whilst they are conscious, to an animal being unconscious when its throat is slit?

I'm in a London school that isn't halal. No Muslim ever batted an eye, they eat the veggie options on the meat days (veggie Monday and fish Friday anyway).

I would query why she judges it more ethical though, Im veggie and I would never allow my son to eat halal as I can't bare the thought of something not even being stunned before dying.

Ham and bacon are both class 1 carcinogens so I'm not sure why you're so keen on them being eaten regularly by children.