To absolutely loathe the increase in smear campaigns against businesses because of the halal meat debate?

[nc0007]

Well it’s not really a debate, is it? You either don’t care, or you’re absolutely seething because your meat may or may not be halal. But irrespectively of what you think about this, AIBU to think that people ‘outing’ businesses on social media about what meat they use and encouraging hundreds of people to smear them not just in posts but reviews to tank their ratings is just crazy?

Hundreds of people commenting ‘I’ve just left them a bad review on google’ because a (British owned baked potato) business extended their trading hours to their Muslim customers? People who have never bought anything from them in their life, probably geographically will never go there. Actively trying to sabotage a business because you think you’re what - some sort of activist?

And don’t get me started on the posts where people reach out to these poor customer service reps in supermarkets to ask them if the meat they sell is halal because of this mad narrative that ‘80% of supermarket meat is halal’ - where has this nonsense come from?!?! 😂 People screenshotting and commenting about how ‘Clare from Lidl’ is avoiding the question when she probably doesn’t have a scooby and the answer probably isn’t a straight yes or no either!

Madness. Utter madness. People treating this like it’s a full time job.

If demand drops, then the market will respond.

No problem with that at all.

It's the moving goal post of the argument - if the objection is because of cruelty then people need to educate themselves that the majority of halal meet is no more cruel than non-halal meat.

If that is the true concern then actually the labelling wouldn't even need to mention Halal or Kosher - it would just need to say Pre-stunned or Not pre-stunned.

Labelling as Pre-stunned, Pre-Stunned Halal, Non-Pre-Stunned Halal or Non-Pre-Stunned Kosher would ensure that those who wish to select their meat based on their religious leaning or based on their animal welfare concerns could do so with clarity.

(The Christian religious objection however is something I don't really begin to understand being an atheist but knowing that the Jewish, Christian and Muslim god is actually the same one and Christianity does not require specific prayers, so I don't understand why a prayer to their god, even in arabic, is so objectional)

Yeah think something on the door. But that's now attracting him customers. Someone also went and cleaned off the eggs for him

Absolutely.

Many of us have campaigned for decades and have spent as long trying our best to make ethical choices in how we buy eggs, fish and meat.

It's always wise to inform yourself before jumping to a conclusion.

Yep do the full list. No one has to explain further why they either buy it or don’t.

But it wouldn't bother an atheist - which I am.

As long as the animal welfare element is taken care of, anything else is just words or ceremony - as an atheist, I don't care, because I don't believe that those words have any meaning.

Why are you quoting the Old Testament when there is a New Testament verse that supersedes it?

To you. Not everyone feels the same way.

If Pagans needed to slaughter an Ox as a key tenant of their religion, The Pagan Federation or the UK Pagan Council could lobby for an exemption to the Welfare at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 (WATOK) just like Muslim and Jewish organisations have.

And there is nothing to stop people who practice Voodoo from ritually killing chickens on their own property as that is perfectly legal in the UK!

@BigYellowBus , nope! I don’t think either are acceptable.

I was wondering this. New Testament has primacy over Old Testament for Christians.

Additionally, yes, eating offal such as liver is a practice that has been going on for centuries, and probably much longer, in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

'Nose to tail eating' has recently become more prominent again as a movement to cut waste, and it is arguably more respectful to the animal not to waste a part of it, if you are going to slaughter and eat it.

@areyoulisteningyet , absolutely not! Neither is acceptable in my opinion.

If someone if bothered by words then I would argue they are not a true atheist.

To be upset by words they have to have ascribed meaning for the person who is upset.

An atheist, by definition, does not believe in God(s) or religion, so therefore does not ascribe meaning to the words whether they come from the Koran, the Torah, the Bible, a Charles Dickens novel or any other source of words!

You’ll have to accept you have your own feelings on this but you can’t order it for others.

Speak for yourself and not all atheists.

Ill stick with the old testament because thats Gods original laws.

Jesus said himself i have not come to change anything but to fulfil the will of him who sent me.

In mark 5, he says I have not come to abolish any laws.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Mark 5.17.

Jesus cant come and change what God has decided.

There is a reason why this is. Pork is dirty and harmful. Pigs eat their own poo. They also will happily drink the urine straight out of a pig. Proof is on YouTube. Pigs can also have hepatitis and tapeworm. Pigs also eat other pigs and basically anything. Also you can see this on YouTube that if you pour coca cola on raw pork it causes maggots to rise, still alive, wiggling around. That's because flies are attracted to poo. When you see dogs mess on the street theres usually flies on it. The flies lay their eggs/maggots in the poo and they are still alive.
Also sausage comes from the entire pig that means its brain, eyeballs, genital, anus, bowels, liver, snout the lot are in a hot dog. Ill stick with the original teachings of the old testament and evidence I have seen to support this. I cant and will not go against Gods teachings. I also dont believe jesus would ever eat pork. He had a clean diet.

Bloody ridiculous. If he doesn't want to serve halal meat, fine. If he does, also fine. No need to egg him. Ridiculous

This is all you stuff, though, isn't it.

It's your thoughts, which you're entitled to, of course. But it's not mainstream Christian teaching or practice.

I have no issue with halal meat being labelled as such, as I have already indicated.

I am simply saying that, if people are genuinely concerned about animal welfare, then merely labelling meat as halal or not halal will not be very helpful to them. If we are agreed that animal welfare is important, then suppliers/retailers should provide more comprehensive information regarding that.

So just throw the old testament out then?

@ExtraOnions , do you think everyone who is concerned about slaughter without pre stunning is racist?
My personal view is that we have laws in our nation which should be applied equally to all and I believe slaughter without pre stunning which has been judged by those much more well informed than I to be cruel, should not be tolerated. Am I a racist?

OMG! 😂

Yes, my choice. And youre entitled to your choice, your way, your life, your opinions. Everyone is, as long as it doesn't harm others.

What's so hilarious? The bible? The truth of pork?

As a fellow atheist I would be interested to know why the Tasmiyah bothers you so much?

The Tasmiyah is the words: "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful).

Many Muslims recite this - not just when slaughtering animals. They often say it before daily tasks including eating, drinking or praying.

What is it about those words that bother you so much? Is it just in the context of slaughter or would you refuse to share a meal with a Muslim who said this at the start of the meal?

If you were at a dinner table with a Christian who said a prayer at the start of the meal, would you also refuse to eat it?

What if you were invited to Shabbat by a Jewish person - would you refuse to go?

I am genuinely interested in what it is you find objectionable, because neither the Tasmiyah, lighting candles, saying the Kiddush, eating challah or sitting with a Christian who felt the need to "thank the lord for what we are about to receive" would bother me as none of that holds any meaning for me.

I would just respectfully be quite until my companion had done or said what they needed to.

Finch bakery in Blackburn received a lot of abuse a few weeks ago after saying their cakes were suitable for vegetarian and halal diet.
they had bad reviews,people given them abuse,it turned out it was because they didn’t use conchineal.
it was clear that people were being abusive due to halal comments,not sure many would be offended that the cake wouldn’t be suitable for vegetarians.