Would Muslims be horrified if they really knew what halal slaughter involved?

[HangryBrickShark]

PLEASE DO NOT READ IF EASILY UPSET - REFERENCES TO ANIMAL SLAUGHTER

First of all I want to make it clear I am not being racist or am not racist in any way, shape or form, but this is a question I have often pondered for many years now.

My friends ex husband worked at a halal meat abbatoir and although he'd been a slaughterman for many years prior to this, it was using the traditional pre-stunning method prior to slaughter. I guess it's one of those less desirable jobs but it's one of those 'someone has to do it' jobs.
.
He lasted a few days before quitting his job at this halal place, deeply distressed at what he witnessed, certainly distressed enough to be sobbing in my friends arms whilst he told her about it. I'll spare you the ghastly details but he witnessed a tremendous amount of suffering whilst working there and did report his findings to the local authority. They said that when they carried out a visit their findings were that the process was being carried out correctly.

The animals at some halal abbatoirs are not pre stunned before slaughter and scientists have proven how unethical and cruel the method of cutting the carotid artery on an animal actually is, with some animals, in particular young calves who have a very good supply of nerves and blood vessels on the top of their necks. This prolongs their consciousness and can cause terrible suffering and it can take a couple of minutes for them to die whilst suspended by a back leg in the air after the cut is made whilst they bleed to death. Obviously the animal is beyond terrified and will struggle. Sometimes cows are put in a contraption that lifts their chin in order to make the cut and turned upside down. I have watched a video of both methods and it is very obvious the animals are conscious for many seconds to a minute or more, you can see their terror, they are not reflexes. This is as an offering to Allah as it states (possibly in the Quaran) that animals have to be offered alive when slaughtered. More and more halal abbatoirs are now pre stunning but there are still many that don't which represent a great many. In 2018 48% of all halal slaughter was not prestunned. 24,000 cattle in 2022 were not prestunned and 2.7million sheep (which represents a horrific 22% of all animals slaughtered in the UK) were not prestunned. The figure for chickens is even worse with 22 million not stunned.

I have read extensive research about both methods because I like a lot of other peoplecannot understand why our government allows religious slaughter when it causes so much suffering and I, like many others try to avoid the halal mark on shop bought food and never eat meat from a restaurant if I know it is serving halal food.

I have friends/work colleagues who are Muslims and I do not regard them any different from myself in any way other than I would never share a meal with them for these reasons.

Just for reference I am a meat eater and try to buy ethically sourced meat from local butchers as well as the supermarket red tractor scheme meat.

No I can't
But then I don't actually want to either

Stunning laws were brought in to minimise animal suffering at death. Not stunning is far more cruel-it doesn’t matter whether it’s religious or not and it should be illegal. We pander far too much to religion in this country.

It’s strange because I think all meat eaters are very aware that an animal has to die for them to have the meat - and what I find crazy is that the living conditions of many of many animals are appalling.

I think you are being unreasonable for aiming your post at Muslims. The post reads “I kill my animal better than you” - which is silly if you care that much about animals.

Maybe go vegan or only eat meat that die of natural causes.

Tbf, if we’re going by human standards, ALL meat industry and any animal products are cruel.

Excellent response! Sensible and straight to point.
The hysteria over Halal ignoring Kosher is nothing more than covert racism. All animal slaughter is barbaric. Transporting the animals to the abbatoir is no picnic - the animals are stressed by the time they get there. The workers aren't tickling the ears of the animals and playing lounge music to them.
Mostly the stunning is not done properly.
The world, particulary here, is largely ignorant of things they'd rather not consider, but that doesn't prevent them from having an opinion!

I understand your concern about animal welfare during slaughter. Let me share some information about halal slaughter that might provide a different perspective:
Scientific studies have found some potential benefits to halal slaughter when done properly:

1. Blood drainage: Research published in Meat Science has shown that proper halal slaughter results in more complete blood drainage, which can improve meat quality and reduce bacterial growth.
2. When properly performed: Studies in the Journal of Animal Science have indicated that when done by skilled practitioners with sharp knives, the initial cut can cause minimal pain due to the severing of nerve endings.
3. Pre-stunning compatibility: Many Islamic scholars actually permit pre-stunning as long as it doesn't kill the animal before the cut. The Halal Food Authority in the UK supports pre-stunning methods that are reversible.
4. Historical context: Traditional halal methods were developed to minimize suffering compared to other methods available historically. The emphasis on using extremely sharp knives and making a swift, precise cut was considered humane for its time.
5. Evolving practices: Many halal certifying bodies are increasingly supporting pre-stunning. According to more recent data, the percentage of pre-stunned halal meat is increasing in many countries.

It's worth noting that both conventional and religious slaughter methods have welfare concerns when poorly implemented. The focus should be on proper training, implementation of best practices, and continuous improvement in all slaughter methods.

Great point.

Another thread where people are deliberately obtuse. Yes killing animals for meat is an awful situation for any animal involved but generally it’s done in the most humane way possible - still misses the mark but they try. Killing animals using halal or kosher methods is and, always will be, much worse!

Interestingly there is also a lot of avocado related corruption and death happening.

I do check if it’s halal and I won’t buy halal, I have written to several companies to check if the meat they sell is halal. I won’t use most takeaways as I have found many use halal meat. I buy vegetarian sweets too. It’s inconvenient but worth it to me as I don’t want to fund halal slaughter.

If people reading this thread don’t agree with halal please send emails today to the supermarkets/companies you use and ask them if they sell halal and advise you will not buy from them.

You will need to keep checking with them.

We are a secular society, non stun slaughter should not be allowed.

UK is the fastest-growing halal market according to Triton Market Research (TMR), predicting it will outgrow all other European markets and match France by 2027.

Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Slovenia have banned it.

The top rights court in Europe has ruled that bans of ritual slaughter in parts of Belgium can stand(Extract from Jewish Times).

Is it feck🤣🤣

It’s only meant to happen for people who need halal for religious reasons. For some reason everyone is turning a blind eye to it becoming widespread, even though it’s a specific exemption to the law and should not be used for ordinary consumption.

Chat GPT answer