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

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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.

Yes, it should be the halal and kosher debate.

The reason why people focus on halal is because the kosher industry is small while the halal industry is much bigger and growing and there's concern about whether it crosses into general meat consumption without people knowing. This is happening in a secondary school near me, so I can imagine it happens in other places too.

How can it be both? Anyone who genuinely has strong beliefs about animal welfare would avoid eating mass produced meat in any case, so this simply wouldn't be an issue for them.

As for people choosing to opt out for other reasons, that's their prerogative, I just want them to be honest about why.

Fortunately that sounds like a one off set up. If you go to mass and people stand up for communion just stay sitting. It’s fine.

As is labelling any halal product and consumers opting out due to welfare or because it’s a religious ritual that is not for them.

Why do they need to let you know?

Fortunately that sounds like a one off set up. If you go to mass and people stand up for communion just stay sitting. It’s fine.

This is quite patronising. Where have you got the impression that I wasn’t fine with being asked to get up and participate? I wasn’t forced.

Not sure if you’re concerned for me
or concerned with gate-keeping Christianity. Neither is necessary.

As an atheist, I wouldn't have been remotely bothered if someone had given my dd a special wafer that had been prayed over. As far as I'm concerned, it is just a wafer?

If they had made my dd participate in a wider religious ritual around the giving of the wafer, then I would not have been happy with that, unless it was a one-off educational experience, in which case it would have been fine.

Are children eating halal meat in schools being asked to take part in wider Islamic rituals around the consumption of that meat? Or are they simply eating their lunch, blissfully oblivious?

They don't. They just need to stop bleating about animal welfare on the Internet when it's obvious that they don't give a toss about it.

Why would I be concerned for you? I think it’s strange someone would take a wafer blessed as the body of Christ for the reasons you say. But go for it if that’s your thing.

It still doesn’t change the fact most people don’t do that. And opting out is fine. No one gets called bigot or intolerant as they do when opting out of halal.

We also don’t ask school age dc to take communion and there’d be an issue if it was the only option, as some school dinners are with halal.

No they can say both reasons as much as they like.

Yes, and others can call them out on the fact that they're obviously being disingenuous.

Opposing extreme animal abuse can hardly constitute smearing. It's plain unethical. They cut their throats with a knife and make them suffer for a long time, bleeding to death. That's the only way it's accepted to be halal. No different than those ISIS videos of human hostages where they did exactly the same. And you think opposing the sale of this kind of product is 'smear campaigning'?

Besides, halal meat has to follow specific protocols. It's only acceptable halal when they cut their throats and then 'embed' the meat with prayers, and these prayers are not exactly loving or nice... they call for the killing of other people. And you eat that energy. The entire practice is gross and barbaric.

Why would I be concerned for you? I think it’s strange someone would take a wafer blessed as the body of Christ for the reasons you say. But go for it if that’s your thing.

You were the one rather patronisingly telling me ‘If you go to mass and people stand up for communion just stay sitting. It’s fine.’

I didn’t ask for your opinion on what’s fine so maybe you were concerned about me becoming Christian against my will.

It’s not ‘my thing’, what a strange attitude. I’ve also had langar at a Sikh temple, are you concerned about me becoming accidentally Sikh too?

It still doesn’t change the fact most people don’t do that. And opting out is fine. No one gets called bigot or intolerant as they do when opting out of halal.

MrsB has repeatedly explained why people get called intolerant for bleating on about halal whilst ignoring the low standard of care of animals in abattoirs , and it’s got nothing to do with opting out of halal. No one has issues with that. Opting out is fine.

My issue is the faux outrage about animal welfare in relation to halal meat, most of which is stunned in any case, from people who don't otherwise appear to give a toss about the welfare of animals in our meat or dairy industries.

I think we all draw a line somewhere when it comes to ethics and morals about meat or anything else. My particular line is that I won't eat unstunned meat as I think it's cruel. Views may differ.

The whole welfare in slaughterhouses is a much bigger question and I don't want to derail the thread.

I suppose we could all go back to the good old days of keeping a pig, killing it ourselves, which is still a legally viable option as long as you don't give anyone outside the immediate household any of the meat/brains ?

It’s not a counter argument, I was merely answering your question: “Do you think it acceptable to have different sets of laws based on religion?” - where it seemed you implied that there should be no laws at all based on religious grounds.

I did not create this thread to talk about which religion, or no religion is superior or more morally “correct”.

Of course we should move towards a better standard of welfare for animals but we simply cannot pin it down to Halal or Kosher methods alone. If someone actively chooses to pick up £2 chicken breasts from their supermarket shelf (which I suspect is majority of the country since the shelves are filled to the brim with this product - you know supply and demand), then I don’t believe in the same breath they can send emails demanding to know if they’re Halal or not citing animal welfare as being the motivator here. Then screenshotting responses and plastering all over Facebook with the caption “80% of supermarket meat is Halal” and it’s awful for animal welfare. Your chickens have never seen daylight and probably never waddled freely but you’re concerned that it may not have been stunned?

OK, you are free to make your own choices. But presumably that means you would be fine eating the majority of halal meat which is stunned?

And you eat that energy.

This is the wildest reply of all.

If you find that wild, you are deeply uninformed what halal actually is. I explain exactly what it is. And perhaps, if you had even a small ounce of humanity, you can understand why people oppose halal, rather than your ignorant and selfish perspective on it.

They cut their throats with a knife and make them suffer for a long time,

Bullshit. The animal's throat must be cut by a sharp knife severing the carotid artery, jugular vein and windpipe in a single swipe.

It's only acceptable halal when they cut their throats and then 'embed' the meat with prayers, and these prayers are not exactly loving or nice... they call for the killing of other people. And you eat that energy. The entire practice is gross and barbaric.

Bullshit. here is the prayer below. What part of this calls for the killing of people? You are so full of hate and prejudice you can’t even post dress up your lies anymore.

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".

That’s it. No calls for killing of people. This is what people mean by the bleating.

‘Most’ and ‘likely’ are doing heavy lifting here.

Why don’t you find out the facts before arguing with everyone

You really need to stop digging that hole, the lack of common sense in your posts is apparent to all.

How on earth would one differentiate unless the label says exactly what the meat is? If it says Halal, I wouldn't touch it without further reassurance.

No really if you want to go to mass and take communion even though the words mean nothing at all to you go for it.

I don’t think it’s common that many do and it’s not an argument to make people accept the halal ritual for meat.

A huge assumption from you that the chicken I eat has never see the light of day. And it seems to me that this is large part of the problem: far too many assumptions about people’s motives and your judgement that those motives are wrong.

Actually the chicken I eat is genuinely free range, and non-halal or kosher, because I purchase directly from a supplier I trust. I don’t buy any meat from anywhere else. I do what I can. And I believe that religious slaughter should be banned full stop so that suffering is minimised as far possible, and I also believe in equality under the law. That means, no exceptions, one rule for all regardless of religion. You started a thread, don’t be surprised if people air their concerns.

The the British Veterinary Association are opposed to religious slaughter and the RSPCA outline the current state of affairs and I trust them more than I trust your views or those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/farm/slaughter/religiousslaughter

You were the one who brought up Holy Communion! 🤣

Why did you bring it up if it’s not an argument?

No really if you want to go to mass and take communion even though the words mean nothing at all to you go for it

This has really got under your skin for some reason. Thanks for your permission, I shall henceforth devote all my future Sundays to taking communion.