RE: Why is halal legal?
July 8, 2011 at 8:33 am
(This post was last modified: July 8, 2011 at 8:39 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Well, as regards this issue, by this point, I think it may be fair to assume that you aren't going to get any sort of response that will satisfy. Frodo made a good point as to the situation of Islam, and all that it entails in the UK: That many things are almost not even discussed for fear of insulting certain groups. Because of this it was relatively difficult to source information on the subject. Perhaps I can offer a small bit of consolation to you:
After an exhaustive search of regulations and regulatory bodies specific to the UK, and an email to the FSA, it would appear that while the use of things like captive bolt and lethal stunning are prohibited, the animal CAN be stunned before the knife is drawn. It simply may not be "stunned to death". An animal does not have to be stunned to be halal (and in fact there is considerable incentive not to do so), but it can be. In researching this thing I also have to mention, that at one point halal meat was in a much worse position (I've had to retract some of my criticisms of the practice in the UK as not being up to date). Prior to Halal being granted an exemption from regulations regarding captive bolt/stunning , it had been "driven underground" (thanks frodo) by necessity, this resulted in unsanitary procedures due to lack of regulatory oversight. This is no longer the case. It may be that as the consumer base that demands this commodity becomes more "western" they will demand increasingly strict regulation, or demonstrate greater levels of concern for the welfare of the livestock involved (indeed this is already the case in some communities). The steady march of secular morality and ethics in the modern world.
These laws, though by definition uneven in their application at least have the effect of improving the safety and quality of the meat. Without these exemptions Halal meat would still be available to the consumer who is so inclined, it would simply lack the protection afforded by regulations regarding hygiene and sanitary procedure. A situation to be avoided no matter how one looks at the issue.
Fun fact: All of the meat served at Wembley, is at this point Halal.
After an exhaustive search of regulations and regulatory bodies specific to the UK, and an email to the FSA, it would appear that while the use of things like captive bolt and lethal stunning are prohibited, the animal CAN be stunned before the knife is drawn. It simply may not be "stunned to death". An animal does not have to be stunned to be halal (and in fact there is considerable incentive not to do so), but it can be. In researching this thing I also have to mention, that at one point halal meat was in a much worse position (I've had to retract some of my criticisms of the practice in the UK as not being up to date). Prior to Halal being granted an exemption from regulations regarding captive bolt/stunning , it had been "driven underground" (thanks frodo) by necessity, this resulted in unsanitary procedures due to lack of regulatory oversight. This is no longer the case. It may be that as the consumer base that demands this commodity becomes more "western" they will demand increasingly strict regulation, or demonstrate greater levels of concern for the welfare of the livestock involved (indeed this is already the case in some communities). The steady march of secular morality and ethics in the modern world.
These laws, though by definition uneven in their application at least have the effect of improving the safety and quality of the meat. Without these exemptions Halal meat would still be available to the consumer who is so inclined, it would simply lack the protection afforded by regulations regarding hygiene and sanitary procedure. A situation to be avoided no matter how one looks at the issue.
Fun fact: All of the meat served at Wembley, is at this point Halal.
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