Ritually slaughtered lamb is delivered at a
halal butcher shop in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2011. Denmark, Sweden
and Norway are among the countries requiring animals to be stunned
before slaughter. Dutch lawmakers took up the issue in 2012.
Peter Dejong/AP
In a conflict that pits animal welfare against religious rights,
Denmark has ordered that all food animals must be stunned before being
killed. The move effectively bans the ritual slaughter methods
prescribed in both Muslim and Jewish tradition.
Finn Schwarz, president of the Jewish
Congregation in Copenhagen, and Benyones Essabar of Danish Halal discuss
the new slaughter rule on Danish TV.
(Yes, this is the same country that recently made news for killing an "extra male" giraffe at the zoo and .)
For biologist and animal welfare activist Peter Mollerup, the slaughter issue is pretty straightforward.
"Danish
legislation tells us that if you want to kill an animal, you should do
it as quick and painless [as] possible," says Mollerup. And that simply
can't be done if the animal is conscious when it's killed. For him, even
if the difference between life and death is a matter of a few extra
seconds, animal welfare must come before religion.
"I have [deep] respect for those people and their way to think about God, but it must not hurt any living creature," he says.
Jews and Muslims, meanwhile, argue that there is evidence to suggest that, if done ,
ritual slaughter can be just as humane as conventional slaughter. The
Danish minister for agriculture has invited local religious leaders to
submit that proof, which they promised to do.
On a practical
level, the rule doesn't change much for Denmark's Jews and Muslims. The
last Danish slaughterhouse willing to forgo stunning before slaughter
shut down in 2004. Since then, Denmark's estimated 8,000 Jews have
imported all kosher meat.
And while most Islamic authorities
agree that stunning is not ideal, many say that animals stunned before
slaughter are still considered halal as long as the concussion is not
the cause of death. According to that interpretation, 99 percent of the
poultry slaughtered in Denmark is, and will continue to be, halal. And
while that works for many of Denmark's 230,000 Muslims, those with
concerns about how carefully religious tradition is being followed can
opt for imported meat.
Denmark is not the first country to
invoke a stun first rule: Sweden and Norway have had similar bans on the
books for decades. But Denmark's move is the most recent development in
a discussion that seems to be growing louder in other parts of Europe.
Dutch lawmakers took up the issue in 2012, and even Britain's top
veterinarian is now making by suggesting his country would do well to follow the Danish example.
As Europe grows more secular, says Finn Schwarz, president of the , "religious tradition" is no longer a valid argument for much of anything, he says.
Benyones Essabar with the group agrees.
"Religion
itself in Europe doesn't play the big role ... it does in other
countries. So every time we speak about something that [has] to do with
religion," he says, "it will always be looked at as something from
medieval times, and something that doesn't have any scientific place in
our modern days."
The possibility that Denmark's rule could spread to other countries, or other traditions
, is Essabar's biggest fear.
"Now
they've banned the ritual slaughter," Essabar says. "The next step they
are debating is actually banning the circumcision of boys."
And
yet both Schwarz and Essabar hesitate to use words like "Islamophobia"
or "anti-Semitism" when discussing these issues. Essabar frames it as "a
lot of people afraid of different things," but Schwarz sees it as an
easy way for politicians to score points with a mostly secular public.
"Today
we are ... living in a very complex world, and our problems in Denmark,
like all other countries, are very complex," he says. "What should we
do with unemployment? What should we do with the kids that [don't] get
an education? But these issues — the circumcision, the slaughtering —
it's so easy
. And everyone can have their own opinion."
But
there may be one bright spot for Denmark's religious minorities in all
this. During one of the many recent TV debates featuring this Jew and
Muslim on the same side of the table, Schwarz reached out to pat Essabar
on the back.
"I totally agree," Schwarz said. "It's nice that we can agree on something once in a while."
April 3, 2014
GrindStop 2014 Update
Sea Shepherd recently completed a scouting tour of the Faroe Islands
Photo: Sea Shepherd Sea Shepherd recently completed a scouting tour of the Faroe Islands. Four members of the
Operation GrindStop
2014 team spent several days visiting the killing beaches and testing
new tools and devices. We are getting ready for the presence of hundreds
of onshore and at sea volunteers who will be standing guard at the
beaches for over four months in order to sound the alarm, interfere, and
document should a Grind be attempted there.
Sea Shepherd crew met with the Chief of Police and several members of
the Faroese police force. We had a cordial conversation during which
the police provided us with information about the laws and regulations
to observe while protecting the grind. We explained to the police that
we would stand our ground and defend the whales.
The press reported on our movements and we conducted multiple interviews with media outlets.
Sea Shepherd encountered several Faroese locals who showed open
hostility toward our presence and cause, but we met others who share our
desire and determination to end the slaughter here.
Many individuals have already requested applications to join the
crew, but may not have heard back from the GrindStop 2014 team. We are
organizing the campaign at present time and everyone who has already
contacted the team should soon be hearing from us. We need you and we
need many more volunteers to rise to the challenge and stand in defense
of the whales and dolphins.
Operation GrindStop 2014, has one goal and that it is to see
no cetaceans killed in the Faroe Islands. Should a slaughter (Grind)
occur, Sea Shepherd will do everything that we can to non-violently
interfere with the slaughter. Some of us may have to go to jail, but
that is a small price to pay to save a whale or dolphin. It is even
possible that a bloodlust-crazed whale killer could assault volunteers.
We will be prepared to defend ourselves if necessary. If a Grind occurs,
we will thoroughly document and broadcast the barbaric events. The
world will be watching and we will show the truth of the slaughter.
The Grind is historic in the Faroe Islands, with records going back
hundreds of years (although the use of motorboats, of course, is more
recent). Grind supporters will argue that without the historic
consumption of the whale meat, the people would not have survived and
that the whales are believed to be a “gift” from God. The current
reality, however, is that not a single person in the Faroes would go
hungry, and certainly no one would starve, if no more whales were
killed. In fact, the whale meat is highly toxic (from mercury and
chemicals deposited into the oceans by humans) and it is common in the
Faroes for children and women of childbearing age to avoid consumption
of the meat. Also, further evidence is surfacing that strongly links
consumption of the meat to Parkinson’s disease. The bottom line is that
the Grind is totally unnecessary, unhealthy, barbaric, and should join
commercial whaling in the exhibits of history museums. The Faroes have a
culture rich in literature, architecture, dress, music, art, and dance.
There is no need for the Faroese to cling to the slaughter.
The true “gift” of the whales in the Faroes is found in the living
whales and small cetaceans. The Faroese have a choice and an
opportunity. Because of the presence of onshore crew during the
campaign, we too will have a story to tell. The story can be one of
harmony with the oceans, in which the Faroe Islands are an inviting
place for tourists and world travelers. Or the story can be one of
barbaric outdated customs overriding common sense, thus making the
Faroes a place to be shunned by tourists and whose products are to be
avoided.
The campaign has sea- and shore-based components. The sea-based
positions are filled. We need volunteers for the onshore crew. As a
member of a dedicated team of international Sea Shepherd activists, you
will help Sea Shepherd protect Pilot Whales, Atlantic White-Sided
dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and Harbour porpoises - the four species
killed on the Faroe Islands in their barbaric “traditional” drive hunts
(called the “Grind” from the word “Grindadràp” or whale kill, in
reference to the main species killed, which are Pilot Whales).
Since records began, over 265,000 small cetaceans have been killed in the Faroe Islands. Since July 20
th,
2013, 1,499 dolphins and whales have been killed in Faroese Grind
hunts. The majority of the Grinds take place between late June and the
end of October. GrindStop 2014 will take place from early June through
October 1
st.
The whales and dolphins need you. Join the campaign today.
For the Oceans,
Scott West
and the GrindStop 2014 team
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/04/09/291887381/banning-traditional-animal-slaughter-denmark-stokes-religous-ire
http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2014/04/03/grindstop-2014-update-1570
