to not know if this offensive?

[Catnary]

Colleague in canteen queue today, I comment that the food looks tasty. She makes a face, points to the label and says “Yeah but look, I’m not eating that!”

Label says “Halal beef casserole”.

I say “but it’s just a different way of slaughtering the cow”

”Yeah I know, that’s what I mean, it’s SO cruel. I can’t have that on my conscience.”

This was all very loud and other people overheard. Neither colleague nor I are Muslim but many other colleagues are. I felt very uncomfortable, didn’t engage, and ordered the beef.

Is this just no different to a vegetarian declaring loudly that they couldn’t possibly be so cruel as to eat meat, or is it a slur on Muslims? It felt inappropriate, especially at work.

You seem sure it is offensive. I’m a lifelong vegetarian and think eating meat is unnecessary so I don’t really care how the animal that’s been killed so you can eat it died. None of it’s okay.

But cultural sensitivities aren’t a reason not to object to inhumane practices and there are plenty of things done in the name of religion I object to and would do so out loud.

Btw I wouldn’t say anything about you or anyone else eating meat, at any volume. I don’t really care.

I do think it's a particularly cruel method of slaughter. Normal processes aren't great, but I do think this is worse. My opinion on this has nothing to do with religion.

I think It's anti-religion. If you don't like animals being kept in appalling conditions and slaughtered while they're terrified, don't eat meat.
Having said that, there are other things I object to that are done in the name of religion that I would voice out loud. Religion on the whole is fine, but religious practices that harm are mostly peer-pressure from dead people IMO.

Halal slaughter is horrific

It's not offensive.
I live with a muslim and he wouldn't take offence. It's preference in slaughter plus it has religious aspect to it so obviously some people won't eat it.
Prople have right to say they think it's cruel as much as people have right to say no, it's fine and eat it.

Most meat in uk is stunt but hey, doesn't mean they can't say they don't like it. Colleague didn't insult muslims.

Thinly veiled bigotism in my opinion. Let's face it, all meat is cruel. Whether you shot it yourself in the wild, paid an over inflated price for it from some poncy organic farm shop or got it from Iceland (shop, not country), it's all cruel. I say this as an omnivore.

Personally, I love meat so I'm not bothered in what way it's killed in order to make it. It just sounds like you were trying to be morally attention-seeking IMO.

It just sounds like you were trying to be morally attention-seeking IMO.

Which actually may be bit offensive, isn't it😉 It's a new way of appropriation essentially.

Its not anti religion its anti barbaric practices if my choices were halal meat and religion or vegetarian and religion I would be vegetarian eating halal meat is a choice an educated choice at that

If your colleague thinks halal is cruel she'd best avoid most eggs and chickens then. The conditions they live in are horrific. And no imported pork either.

What do you mean? I didn’t call the person out, I just didn’t engage in the conversation. Or do you mean I was morally attention-seeking because I said that the slaughter method didn’t affect the flavour?

What are the halal meat regulations in this country? Not that they're followed, probably.

www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/slaughter

A lot of meat is halal now, including restaurants and supermarkets. The majority is stunned before the halal practices and the prayer is played on repeat over a tannoy.

I believe over 95% of halal meat is stunned before slaughter.

I think I also read that most schools now serve halal meat as standard, most non-Muslims have no issue with that. And non-Muslims eat halal every time they go for a curry!

It's an ignorant comment that specifically targets one religion. The very large majority of animals killed for halal meat are stunned before being killed. For kosher meat, which is a smaller number, the animals are not stunned. So it makes little sense to object to halal meat in general. And it makes the assumption that all other slaughter processes are carried out correctly, which they often are not, causing distress to animals. And either way, the animal is still being killed in a slaughterhouse, which is distressing in itself for the animals and, you know, they're killed.

When my son was in year 1 we had the option for the Xmas lunch of halal or non halal. We aren’t Muslim so chose non halal. For the next year he told us every week that he always made sure the dinner ladies have him a non halal jacket potato !!! He knew there was something important about some food being halal or non halal but thought it extended to potatoes as well 😂

I think it’s a bit rich to be queuing up to eat meat then loudly denigrate other people for eating meat that was killed ‘cruelly.’ If you’re happy for animals to be killed for you to eat I don’t think you can really take the high ground if I’m honest.

I agree with the other woman.

And would you state that loudly in public? That’s my question, not about whether her opinion was valid or not.

Is your colleague vegetarian? Or only eats organic meat or something? If she's quite happy to eat battery farmed chicken, then it seems likely to me she was being islamophobic. If she's an animal rights activist or something, then that's different.

Disgusting anyway. Very cruel.
Stop looking for things to be offended about!!

I have worked with her for about 10 years and seen her eat all sorts of meat, never heard her express a view on animal cruelty before.