In the last couple of weeks, there have been three stories about companies selling halal products and apparently distressing some of their non-Muslim consumers.
Firstly, we have a McDonalds store in Melbourne that, shortly before Ramadan, decided to use halal meat for their products. There is a sign on the wall next to the counter that advises that the products are now halal and have been certified by some organisation but perhaps some customers may have missed it.
The fast-food chain has introduced halal products at two Melbourne restaurants, significantly boosting sales.
However some non-Muslim customers are furious they were not told their hamburger meat was slaughtered and blessed in accordance with Islamic rules laid down in the Koran.
Secondly, we have Red Rooster, a chain of fried chicken stores, that has apparently started using halal meat too. As MX report:
If Red Rooster has made the decision to make all of their chicken halal that’s appalling, because people need choice. … We think many Christians would be offended if they went into Red Rooster and had to eat halal meat. - Australian Christian Lobby spokesman David Yates
Finally, we have A Current Affair running a story about Nestle who have decided to include a stamp denoting halal certification on their products too. In this case, the stamp means that the products don’t contain pork, alcohol or non-halal meat products. Unlike the other two examples, there hasn’t been a change of product.
Not withstanding the outrage — real and manufactured — that this news has generated, it should be remembered that for each of these companies it is a commercial decision. They are seeking to capture a new market (Muslims) and expand sales of their product. In the case of the McDonalds stores, it has certainly been beneficial and they have increased sales as a result. Given companies have no obligation or responsibility other than to make a profit for their shareholders, the only possible complaint that can be made is that the decision has somehow reduced sales or they didn’t recognise the opportunity earlier.
The whole issue of halal certification is somewhat questionable but we’ll leave that for another post at another time, but suffice to say, I don’t see anything objectional about the manner in which the animals are slaughtered. They are not slaughtered in the name of the Prophet Muhammad or anything other than God alone: in the case of a chicken, a mechanical blade slices whilst a Muslim recites bismillah (in the name of God) and Allahu akbar (God is great).
However, if some Christians don’t want to eat such foods then that is their choice and we should respect it. Just as Muslims should not feel compelled to eat forbidden foods, these Christians shouldn’t feel compelled to eat halal food. In fact, Christians and other non-Muslims who feel offended by halal foods should therefore welcome the labeling of each of these products; it will make it much easier for them to know which products to avoid when shopping or looking to dine out at McDonalds.
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it will make it much easier for them to know which products to avoid when shopping or looking to dine out at McDonalds.
LOL good point
Very interesting, the Netherlands recently faced the same issue with the main food chain Albert Heijn. It took place during the last election campaign in ‘Albert Heijn’was forced to withdrew its selection of halal products from stores after receiving 5000 protest emails through the Party for the Animals website. The emails sharply expressed the public outrage; namely the demand of Islamic law that halal meat be produced without the use of anaesthesia when killing animals.
People were probably also offended because Albert Heijn was not clear on this issue (which I can imagine; i agree with you that people should be able to make a choice and therefore they have a right to know). And perhaps also because they found out that the Netherlands is one of the main exporting countries when it comes down to halal meat.
After the incident Albert Heijn stopped selling halal meat from animals that were not sedated. This led one of the national Muslim organizations to the conclusion that people should not buy it anymore because it did not meet the criteria for being halal.
he wider Australian community would be well served to pull its collective head in on this one. halal meat exports provide a huge chunk of Australia’s meat trade, without which many cattle and sheep farmers would not have a livelihood, just ask grain farmers who lose important markets such as Iraq
and as for Christian pastors who find this offensive to eat meat blessed in the name of God, i suggest they are 1500 years too late to introduce dietary code into their religion
I would invite them to chill out take a back rub, just like pastor ted
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6119226.stm
I wonder what they will do if they find out most Nandos are actually halal as well.
Yes, Nando’s has been halal for ages.
Gavin made a good point. Australia’s Halal meat trade is growing, and the city of Hume is aiming to become the center of it in Melbourne with the local council supporting it strongly considering how great it would be for the local economy.
Australia has great potential to tap into the halal trade considering the region we are in.
Oportos is halal too.
I want to add my voice to the ridicule of the australian christian lobby, who appear to make up religious doctrine based on the prevailing public mood.
After discarding jewish dietary law 2000 years ago, they can not issue a press release and say that it is now impermissible to eat meat blessed in the name of G-D. What sort of religion do they practice? do they read the opinion section of the daily telegraph and then make doctrine to suit the mood?
what a joke, its OK for a christian to nibble on the testicles of a swine but not to eat halal meat.
david yates needs to take a deep knee bend or a cold shower
For Australians and New Zealanders coming up north to Singapore and Malaysia on holiday, don’t get too indignant when you find out that virtually all the fast-food restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, LJS, etc.) in these two countries are all halal. You want choice? Go to a non-halal (regular) restaurant.
Two issues, one of gross stupidity and one of spirit vs letter of the law.
The objection to eating halal meat because one is Christian is imbecilic and contemptible, as has been commented upon here. I often buy meat from the couple of halal butchers here in Prague simply because it is higher quality (imported from halal slaughterhouses in Germany I expect) and because they are the only butchers in town who understand lamb, and will even bone it for me and crack the bones for stock. Don’t hold your breath asking a Czech butcher to do that.
The second issue mentioned in passing is the anaesthetized (dig my transatlantic spelling) animal for halal/kashreth. The same issue exists in the UK with kosher slaughterhouses and I believe for similar reasons: under Jewish law, the animal must be fully awake and without blemish, etc. Now, the reasons behind a lot of the Jewish slaugher laws are 1) to prevent the consumption of bad meat and 2) to slaughter animals as humanely as possible. I suspect halal operates on a similar logic. But the laws were set a long, long time ago, and if the gentiles come up with a more humane way of slaughter, shouldn’t we adopt it? (In kosher slaugherhouses there is also an issue with non-sedated animals injuring themselves, rendering their meat trefe. This is both more cruel and more wasteful than modern British or Australian slaughter methods and I cannot understand the justification for it, other than empty piety.)
From my albeit limited understanding of Jewish law, I believe there is also the problem of the animal being immobalised at the time of the slaughter which violates one of the conditions for kashrut.
As for the use of anaesthetics and stunning, then my understanding is that this is allowed under Islamic law with the condition that it doesn’t cause unnecessary pain to the animal, doesn’t kill the animal and that, if the animal isn’t slaughtered, it will recover from the condition unharmed. I am not sure why some European Muslims would be objecting to this. It’s quite common, as far as I can tell, in Australian slaugterhouses for animals to be stunned using electricity before they are slaughtered.
Slaughter of Animals Used for Food - summary of some rulings.
The Halal Slaughter Controvesy - summary of some scientific findings.
Do not eat any type of meat or chicken except it is certified by Islamic foundation council or an Islamic recognized institutional stamp or declaration posted on shop or sticker on product etc. Mostly people says it’s Halal ,so please do not eat blindly with out considering the above declarations and authorization.
I think we should all respect each other opinions and religious beliefs. I can tell you one thing there is a blessing in hala meat. It’s just something I can’t describe. Again, I respect all religions from my heart.
I’ve only been a muslim for one year. It wasn’t easy to give up the beer (I still really miss bottled real ales) and I was worried I’d be missing out on some of my favourite foods too.
Coming from the UK where most local halal butchers are small and frankly rubbish, it was an eye-opener to see just how professional the Aussie halal butchers are. In the UK they wouldn’t know the difference between Scotch, Porterhouse and Sirloin, and they don’t tend to sell beef for roasting or sausages!
I think the difference is that in the UK the halal shops tend to market themselves only to muslims, and so they offer meats either on-the-bone or diced for curries; whereas in Australia they aim to sell to everyone so the selection is far more varied.
If I can’t get halal I’ll eat kosher but I rarely see it on offer. Except for kosher gelatin - which means I can eat some makes of marshmallow, hurrah!
It’s been a relief to find that restarants and take aways here are also moving towards using halal meat. I really appreciate it and I’m sure it makes good sense from a markerting perspective!
OK, feeling hungry now..
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