Pat Condell raises some important points…
One thing he mentions is ‘Halal meat‘.
For a while, I have been trying to compose a post about this….but have been having a lot of trouble (I have a lot of trouble with things where there is serious cruelty to animals). So, let me just urge you to read up about what the whole ‘Halal’ thing is about on your own. I can’t even do links – sorry – it just bothers me to see this stuff so much…
While you do, I would like to ask you to pay attention to two separate ways in which ‘Halal food’ production will impact our society.
First and foremost is the cruelty with which animals must be slaughtered in order to be considered ‘Halal’. This is obvious.
So, when choosing restaurants and fast food outlets, I always make sure to avoid ‘Halal certified’ places. And, if you find the place you are in is serving ‘Halal’ meat, and you choose to walk out, please, tell them why.
Or, perhaps, if enough people ask Peta, they might organize a ‘Halal-awareness Campaign’! They’d be very good at it!
And, perhaps they would reveal just how ‘stealthily’ this ‘Halal-compliant’ food is entering our food chain. Because some of the multinational food corporations are ‘standardizing’ their practices: often, this means slaughtering all animals in compliance with ‘Halal’ rules, but only labeling the bits for their Muslim customers as such. And, especially many school cafeterias are purchasing ‘Halal-only’ meat, in order to cater to the needs of their Muslim students. (In other words, they are taking ‘Halal’ as the ‘common denominator’ and serving it to everyone!)
The other thing to keep in mind while reading up on ‘Halal’ food is just how incompatible the requirements to keep food ‘Halal’ are with the laws of our society!
For example, a non-Muslim may not be trusted to keep any food ‘Halal’ – and must not be believed that any food they handled retains its ‘Halal’ status (unless a ‘trusted, moral Muslim’ supervises their every move) .
Regardless of how closely the technique of ‘Halal slaughter’ is adhered to, it may only be performed by a ‘moral Muslim’, or a Christian or Jew under close and direct and close supervision of a ‘moral Muslim’.
And, this continues throughout the food-preparation and delivery process.
In other words, a person’s employment is determined by their religious faith!
An employer is forced to hire preferably Muslims only, or, in a pinch, also Christians or Jews – as long as their supervisor is a Muslim…. and absolutely no non-Muslim supervisors are allowed! As for anyone who does not follow one of the three Abrahamic faiths – they are not permitted to touch or handle the food, ever. Sorry, Sikhs, Buddhists, non-believers or anyone else! No work for you in the food industry!
But, an employer is not permitted, by law, to discriminate in their hiring or promotion practices based on a person’s religious beliefs! Isn’t that right up there, in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
Therefore, by the very fact that they are certified ‘Halal’, these places of employment are openly admitting that they are breaking the laws of our land! That they are actively committing religious discrimination in their hiring practices!
If only we had some some sort of a Commission that would be able to look into this….
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 
January 15, 2010 at 00:08
Hi,
Found this during tag surfing on Islam.
Here is my opinion:
There are far more important issues regarding Islam than Halal food.
People should be free to have their own rules and live their lives as they see fit, as long as they do not impose these laws and customs on others.
I have no problem with Muslim dress, or Muslim holiday observance or Muslim dietary laws.
What is deadly important, and especially now in Britain, is the Islamisation process that this country is undergoing.
Mocking Islam’s dietary laws will not help in repelling the Islamisation attack.
http://th3cow.wordpress.com
Xanthippa says:
Thank you for your comment.
…and, I wasn’t mocking!
I DO think it is important.
EVEN IF (and I’m not saying one ought to – that is a different debate, but also a serious one) one were to not address the cruelty to animals issue (yes, these methods of slaughter are inhumane and many people claim – I have not verified it, but the claims are numerous – that these methods of animals slaughter are against our current animal cruelty laws: no ‘religion’ ought to be used as a reason to break laws…) one did not address the slaughtering method, there is a serious issue here that MUST be addressed because it DOES affect the whole of our society.
That issue – and sorry if I did not stress just how serious its impact on all of us is – is that of requiring only members of SOME religions to handle food.
That is going to impact hiring practices of in just about all the food industry!
As the percentage of Muslim customers in a society increases, businesses will necessarily cater to their needs: it would be foolish for them to overlook these potential customers. And, since the Muslim requirements are ‘more stringent’ and VERY clearly defined, most of the large corporations which produce food will ‘default’ to these methods.
In other words, a student (or any person) who applies for a water/waitress position in a chain restaurant would be asked what religion he/she belongs – and, if they are not Muslim, they will not be hired because a non-Muslim may not handle the food in order for it to remain ‘Halal’.
That would include the waiting staff, and, of course, everyone working in the kitchen (with the possible exception of dish-washer).
In other words, what I am attempting to highlight is that the ‘Halal’ food handling requirements are incompatible with our human rights laws!
I don’t care what any religions’ rules – dietary or not – require of its worshipers, as long as adhering to them does not break the laws of the land. And, this one does – it requires not only the worshiper, but also the people providing a service to the worshiper, to break our laws.
The ‘Halal’ food handling requirements DO break our laws.
We should be aware of that, in the least. However, I do think it would be responsible to stop this, before the practice becomes entrenched. After all, Muslims are advised (via MANY fatwas) that they may eat food handled by non-Muslims if it does not contain meat – so, many CHOOSE a vegetarian diet when in a non-Muslim country.
Thus, we know that Muslims DO have a CHOICE to comply with their religious dietary requirements WITHOUT breaking our labour laws – yet the vast majority chooses to demand that our laws are breeched to accommodate them.
And THAT is wrong.
‘Adherence to a religious practice’ must NEVER be a reason to breech human rights. Never. Especially in a case where is a choice….
January 15, 2010 at 22:02
I agree with you point regarding forcing Islamic restrictions on non Muslims. It is illegal.
It is also one of the strategies in the plan for Islamisation of the civilised world.
When I say that we should not interfere with religious observance, rituals, dietary laws, I am talking about those laws that are imposed inwardly – only on the members of the faith, who voluntarily accept them – not on others.
It is clear to me that Islamisation activists are tirlessly looking for ways to impose their way of life on others and on the state.
Xanthippa says:
Yes!
I agree completely with what you say.
As long as their religious dietary laws are only self-imposed and do not breech our laws – everyone MUST BE free to practice them to their full contentment!
However, the ‘Halal meat’ issue is a form of ‘stealth jihad’: that is why I raised the issue!
January 16, 2010 at 01:38
Xanthippa:
Well, if you’re going to object to Halal meat, then you should be objecting even more strongly to Kosher meat. The required methods of slaughter – shechita (Jewish) and dhabiha (Muslim) – are quite similar in terms of the “implementation details,” but the Jews are even stricter, especially about who is allowed to do it: absolutely nobody except a sane, adult Jewish male is permitted to be a shochet (one who practices shechita).
And, to be honest with you, if the procedures are followed to the letter, both shechita and dhabiha are undoubtedly much more humane than what typically goes on in a Western slaughterhouse.
I don’t want to cause you needless distress, so I won’t go into explicit detail. Suffice it to say that when an animal’s throat is cut by one who is conscientious and skilled, it loses consciousness in a few seconds. Before any real pain has can register.
In a Western mechanized slaughterhouse, they just make sure the animal is stunned to immobility when it goes into the assembly line.
That’s why I always buy my meat from small local farmers who raise their own livestock and do their own butchering. It costs more, but at least I can eat with a clear conscience. And meat that isn’t soaked with the hormones, released in moments of pain and fear, tastes much better. Believe it or not.
Regarding religious freedom and the right to live as you see fit, my right to do that only extends to the point where it infringes on your right to do likewise. And vice versa. The laws of the land shouldn’t get involved at all unless that line is crossed. If the law does any more than safeguard that reciprocity, then it is too intrusive.
Xanthippa says:
Yes, Codeslinger, I DO object – and very stronly – to ‘Kosher’ meat!
As a matter of fact, the first 3 or 4 drafts of this post stated so – but, I had to focus the post.
Still, you are correct. I should have raised the point of ‘Kosher’ meat!
As for what happens in modern slaughter houses – you are greatly mistaken if you think that the ‘Kosher/Halal’ methods are more humane than what happens to other ‘meat’ (for, all slaughter animals are not treated any better than ‘meat on the hoof’ in modern factory slaughter-houses!).
I am sad to report that I am actually much too aware of what happens…in the past, I have investigated this at great depth.
OK – we are talking mammals here: the animal is forced down a narrow ramp (often using very painful methods, ill livestock is often cruelly forced into the slaughter-line using electric shock). At some point, the animal is stunned into semi-consciousness – the aim is unconsciousness – using an electrified bolt being fired into their brain. Then, they are strung up by their hind legs and slaughtered.
Both ‘Kosher’ and ‘Halal’ slaughter methods are similar: it would be inefficient to interfere with this ‘production-line-slaughter’ process! They just skip the ‘stunning’ step!
Instead, the animals are strung up and hung by their hind legs while fully conscious! This process is extremely painful, as the animals legs are usually dislocated at the hip in the process. The animals – in extreme pain – then continue down the conveyor belt for quite some time before they reach the ‘approved’ area where they are slaughtered in accordance with the religious rituals…
And – being fully aware of this, I too buy 100% of my meat from local farmers!
Not only does the meat not contain any of the ‘panic’ hormones ‘storebought’ meat does – hormones which my obsessive research has convinced me are harmful to our health – I can also have the knowledge that the animal was not mistreated unnecessarily, and was most certainly not the product of a ‘factory farm’ (perhaps the worst, most evil thing our society has produced)!
Yes, in my obsessive-compulsive way, I have gone and met the farmers, seen the fields where the animals live, and all that…. And,m I DO agree – the meat is seriously better!
However, the Ontario government is actively working to prevent small farmers from butchering their own animals…so, I may soon be out of luck (as I am with eggs – the egg-marketing board has now successfully prevented small farmers from selling eggs, even as part of the marketing-board’s quota! And don’t get me started on milk…).
January 17, 2010 at 08:07
Xanthippa:
It never ceases to amaze me, how often we are on the same page about things. Not just the same page. The same damn word!
I see you already know some of what I was going to spare you. I think it’s pointless to debate which of these cess pools is the deepest. They should all be abolished. The sooner the better.
And checking your facts is not “obsessive.” It’s just prudent. Remember, “obsessive” is the word used by the lazy to describe the dedicated.
Xanthippa says:
Yes, CodeSlinger, I, too, am surprised at how often we have ‘done our homework’ and reached the same conclusions!
January 16, 2010 at 02:10
It’s certainly a shame the mainstream media isn’t covering this issue. It’s like they feel a chill coming from somewhere.
January 17, 2010 at 08:10
There will be war.
January 23, 2010 at 02:48
Hey man. Sending this from a Mobile. thanks! very helpful post!! like the template btw 😉
March 18, 2010 at 11:50
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