Karen Lugo, a constitutional scholar and law professor at Chapman University in Orange County, has written a piece for Townhall on the recent controversy surrounding Lowe's and the cancellation of their sponsorship of the TV program "All-American Muslim", as well as a lesser known issue which surrounds ButterballTturkey and their admission of slaughtering turkeys in conformance with the Islamic halal tradition.
http://townhall.com/columnists/karenlugo/2011/12/21/butterballs_halal_turkeys_and_lowes_wise_corporate_choice
I have already written on the Lowe's issue, so I will focus here on the Butterball story. There is a signature campaign going around urging Butterball to cease slaughtering any turkeys in the halal manner, which involves cutting the bir'd' throat and letting it bleed to death. This naturally causes agony to the animak since it is not stunned prior to cutting.
This is also a big issue in Europe, where many countries have laws providing for the humane slaughter of animals for meat. In Belgium, to name just one country, this law is routinely ignored. Here back home, I have several times been told that there is a goat farm in Riverside or San Bernadino County that sells live goats to Muslim customers who take them away, presumably to be slaughtered according to halal custom.
It may seem like just another way to bash Muslims, but if we are really going to protect animals from inhumane practices, then we cannot ignore this problem. I am aware that there is a similar practice in Judaism. In one instance, I have been told that this method is done in such a way that the animal does not suffer agony as it bleeds to death. I don't really know, and I would appreciate any reader input.
So this issue comes down to whether we enforce our laws that protect animals from inhumane slaughtering practices (a contradiction in terms, I admit) or we accede to certain religious practices that violate this principle. As one who eats meat but loves animals, I say the laws we have are just and should not be ignored.
Gary, this is one of the times that I'm extremely surprised with your ignorance. As someone that spends 50%+ of his blog posts talking about Jews and the Jewish community, I'd think you'd be aware that the 'Halal' (Islamic) method of animal butchery is nearly identical to the 'Kosher' (Judaic) method:
ReplyDeletehttp://forward.com/articles/144037/
Even under more "humane" methods, a Kosher slaughtering still involves slitting the throat of the animal until it dies.
In fact, the principles are so similar, that the Dutch Parliament had banned (now reversed) both methods as "Barbaric" this year, leading to outrage from both Imams and Rabbis in Europe:
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/dutch-senate-to-block-ban-on-kosher-halal-slaughter-following-jewish-muslim-protest-1.401661
You will notice Geller has no such problem with a Kosher Turkey, because those "damn terrorist Muslims" aren't involved. This is bigotry trying to pass as humane values. I hope you will do more comprehensive research and analysis next time.
That's why I asked for input, Matan, and I acknowledged that the methods are similar. Should not an animal be stunned first or something done to avoid the pain? One person told me that the kosher method involves cutting that severs all transmissions to the brain, but as I said, I don't know. If the kosher method also subjects the animla to pain, then I oppose it as well.
ReplyDeleteUnder Kashrut (Kosher laws), it is illegal to stun the animal before slitting their throat.
ReplyDeleteOnly hatred of Halal could inspire a conservative to take up humane treatment of animals, not unlike the sudden conservative hand wringing over oppression of homosexuality (in Muslim dominated countries).
ReplyDeleteI bet most of your fans deride PETA the rest of the time.
A friend of mine says her grandmother used to run out behind the house to catch a chicken to fry for dinner. "It's all the wrist" she said. Maybe it is more humane to wring the bird's neck first. Are you sure that Halal prohibits stunning the animal first? Come to think of it, have you ever seen a video of Cajun men "sticking" a hog?
As far as I've heard, the main religious point is to drain out all the blood, because it is forbidden to eat the blood.
Doing further research, I am informed that kosher slaughter law says the animal must not suffer pain during death. I assume there is a method to cut in such a way as to sever any pain responses going to the brain, but I don't know how.
ReplyDelete"I assume there is a method to cut in such a way as to sever any pain responses going to the brain, but I don't know how."
ReplyDeleteYou assume wrong one again Gary.
There is no way to slaughter an animal in a painless manner. The captive bolt pistol is the most humane way a large animal such as a cow can be killed, but the cows throat must still be cut.
A somewhat similar method is electric stunning, which like the captive bolt pistol stuns the animal without penetration. Many Muslim butchers use this method in Western countries, but Jewish slaughterhouses do not. That is why Kosher slaughter is illegal in Sweden, but Halal slaughter is not.
I can't speak for Canada or Europe, but Kosher foods seem to be more abundant and more of a problem here in the US.
Take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7JmCLYZVl0&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL70748A7C92316A3D
Yes, yes, Findalis, there are difference in what adherents of each religion are permitted to eat. But we were talking about the method of killing the animal.
ReplyDeleteIt all started because the biggotted Lugo, who never saw anything with the word "Muslim" attached to it as adjective that she didn't want to suppress, is trying to bully stores into refusing to sell food prepared the way a part of their customer base wants it.
Whatever happened to free enterprise and market forces?
Jst had some Shariah Turkey (yes, the dreaded Butterball) for an impromptu C̶h̶r̶i̶s̶t̶m̶a̶s̶ Hannukah dinner, and so far no signs of sudden jihad syndrome.
ReplyDeleteDon't like Butterball, but that is a personal taste choice.
ReplyDeleteTo kill an animal humanely in the Kosher tradition, the butcher cuts the throat in a way the nerves and veins to the brain are severed. Death is almost instant.
That is what the Rabbi explained to me.
Sounds like on the issue of kind ways to butcher animals, kosher and halal are running about even.
ReplyDeleteLugo reminds me of the Aryan Nations types who tried to raise a hullaballoo about "the kosher tax" some years ago, urging everyone not to buy kosher products, and businesses not to carry them, because of the cost of having them certified kosher.
I preferred the Hebrew National commercials, highlighting all the additives Uncle Sam would allow, but "We have to answer to a higher authority."
I don't know a thing about jewish or muslin law. But I'm an avid hunter and have raised for meat almost every animal normally seen on a farm including butterball turkey, and it is easier and more effcient to hang them upside down and slit their throats, and in the butter ball plant I visited they did stun them first but that was 15 years ago so things may have changed
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