There has been a lot of controversy regarding stunning animals before slaughter. Disputes about this have been going on in Europe and North America for quite some time. Even among Muslims, there are different views on this issue. Islam is a religion that shows compassion for animals, as mentioned in the holy book of the Koran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Islam sets strict rules for humane slaughter. In many Muslim and non-Muslim countries, Muslims slaughter animals without first stunning them. “Animal welfare has been the focus of Islamic jurists since the beginning of Islamic history,” said Bogak A. Ergene, professor of history at the University of Vermont and co-author of Halal Food: A History, with Phoebe Armanios. Some Halal certification bodies around the world state that no form of pre-slaughter stunning is acceptable, but others do allow pre-slaughter stunning and do not consider it a “problem.” “Everyone agrees that the suffering of the animal must be minimized,” he added. There is now debate among Halal meat producers, certifying authorities and consumers as to whether stunning achieves this goal.
Some argue that stunning itself can be very painful, especially if not done properly. In countries such as the USA, Europe and Asia, it is prohibited to slaughter animals without stunning. But Muslim and Jewish religious leaders see this ban as a threat to their religious freedom. Both Islam and Judaism require that an animal be well treated in life and that it be healthy and unharmed prior to slaughter.
According to Muslim and Jewish religious organizations, the recent ban on non-stunning slaughter of animals is a direct result of hatred of Muslims and Jews in Europe and some other countries. Europe, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Slovenia do not allow such religious exceptions. In other European countries, the slaughter requirements are different.
A recent article by Helena Horton, published in The Telegraph, highlights the ongoing debate about whether there should be clear markings to show whether a given animal was stunned before slaughter or not. Labeling will give the consumer a choice when purchasing meat products.
What do you think about stunning an animal before slaughter?
