to be very suprised at the school letter about Halal meat?

[fromparistoberlin]

opended DS bag and read a letter with a voting slip basically saying

alot of parents have asked for Halal meat (fair enough)
The school dinner providers can only do Halal OR non-Halal (erm we are in London, slightly surpised)

so we either vote for ALL Halal, or non Halal

so basically an ethical dilemna!

Vote A, feel like a bigot

Vote B, feel slightly uncomfortable that something I dont really fully understand is being imposed

I am going to write and say this is a really unfair way to handle it and they should fucking change suppliers, we are in London FFS

nice little ethical mind fuck THANKS school!

[BackOnlyBriefly]

Forget the 'ethical suppliers'. That's a red herring really. Mostly about me not being entitled to an opinion because I don't use ethical suppliers anyway.

the MAJORITY of muslims, not just in the UK, but in many countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South East Asia, consider stunning as compatible with halal. and the rest don't matter?

You keep saying the 'majority' as though that means something. We're talking about appeasing those who want hallal who are not the majority either so why dismiss the muslims who consider stunned meat to be haram just because they are outnumbered?

It's no good trying to deny that they exist either. Crescent are you a muslim? if so is this like the Roman Catholics versus Protestants thing?

My point then is that if you say we must do what people's religion requires then we must kill animals without even stunning them first. While still awake.

I don't know the best way to kill them, but I doubt that cutting them while still conscious is it. So we're going to have to ignore the beliefs of some people aren't we. In fact we already.

I want an ongoing search for better methods and as we find them I want them used. This agreement would mean the method could never be changed.

as for Sikhs yes if they are forbidden to - and its not just halal meat but meat blessed by any other religion - then it is unjust to force them to eat halal. but the school of the OP are asking parents to decide, and the OP herself will write her own objections in as well as voting.

So if it is decided to go all hallal then any Sikh children can just bugger off back where they came from?

Is this a state school? not sure it was ever made clear.

[HoHoHoNoYouDont]

This thread is working wonders for me in reinforcing my decision to not eat meat. Keep up the good work MNers.

[Blu]

I think by setting up a vote like this the school are handling it very badly.
Divisive.

Most schools consider catering to religious sensibilities is important to equal opportunities, inclusion, diversity and social cohesion.

And yes, catering companies in London should be able to offer more than 'all or nothing'.

Fish dishes / veggie / halal chicken / non halal lasagne, for e.g.

I would give feedback on the bad consultation process.

But for myself, I think mass produced meat animal welfare is already so bad that demurring over stunned halal lamb or chicken is a bit hair splitting.

[valiumredhead]

How odd, ds's school has just started using Halal meat but only for those that want it and it's kept in a separate fridge apparently.

[ubik]

All our school/nursery meat is halal.

Sausages are veggie.

No one seems to mind.

[fromparistoberlin]

YES its a state school

haved written, no answer back! we shall see eh

[MrsRickyMartin]

Halal, kosher, 'regular' way of killing animals, they are all the same to me, you end up with a dead animal.

Disclaimer: I married into a vegeterian family.

[edam]

I agree with blu, very divisive way to handle it. I am veggie, ds is not. I would object to the only meat option being halal on animal welfare grounds- I don't see why one belief, religious, trumps equally firm beliefs against cruelly.