Just say NO to Halaal and Kosher
Offline I have started a thread on AnswerIt, intended to make people think about the meat they eat. We currently have a few topics in our forums debating meat eating which made me think about where I stand and what is acceptable to me as an omnivore.
In my country, killing of animals in a religious (read barbaric) manner is not questioned and I am very concerned about this. To a large extent big companies bend over backwards to accommodate religious food at events and within their company eating places, without knowing what they are endorsing. This encourages expensive restaurants to continue operating because they buy into this trend without asking the hard questions about how the animal was slaughtered.
What outcome would I like? The short answer is that there would be so much legislation and red tape that animals killed in an unacceptable way cause the meat to be priced out of the market --- its about raising awareness and informed choices. If you'd like to follow or contribute to the AnserIt please do on the link below. The long answer is that we ultimately find a way to produce steak in a petri dish without harming the animal
Thank you for reading my post, rgds Sam
http://answerit.24.com/Question/Question.aspx?QuestionID=87469
What Would Jesus Drive? Well, God preferred an old Plymouth, "God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden in a Fury"; Moses was said to ride a motor bike, "the roar of Moses’ Triumph is heard in the hills", while the apostles would carpool in a Honda, "the apostles were in one Accord".
- Login to post comments
About your tag line ---
I always thought Jesus would drive a white F-150 Ford pickup with a chrome toolbox in the bed. It's what all the other carpenters drive around here.
On topic - my husband had a friend who attempted suicide by slitting his wrists. The guy was rescued and survived the experience. This person said dieing by loss of blood was very peaceful - once you got past the sting of the cut, you just got very sleepy. I have no idea if this works for throat slitting as well as wrist slitting, since I have tried neither one.
Maybe someone else will have more information on the subject.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
lol, that's a good point. I haven't thought about it this way... I would still make a big deal of it just because it pisses halal /kosher consumers off. My mother in law is Jewish (converted) and I bug her about it all the time. I've never heard that point and not sure how I'd respond.
"Don't seek these laws to understand. Only the mad can comprehend..." -- George Cosbuc
As I understand the process of butchering - "bleeding out" is part of tenderizing the meat. It is also part of the reason for "aging" the carcass, to allow the blood to continue to flow out of the meat. I have no idea why, but it does seem to work - as purchasing the "cheap meat" in the beyond the use by date section of the grocery store does give the purchaser tenderer meat as well as saving a few dollars.
And discussing it like this just emphasizes why some people get grossed out by the process of slaughtering and butchering.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
It isn't about tenderizing, it is about appearance and spoilage. Meat has a more consistent color and texture (not as much clotted blood in the tissue), and it lasts longer if bled properly. Since the heart is still beating and the animal is usually hung upside down, most of the blood is drained very quickly.
The meat is more tender the longer you age it because of tissue being dissolved by enzymes, and the decrease in water content in the tissue also changes the texture and taste.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
I think you have a point: I have heard the same about slitting your wrists. I've been reading up a bit more as I seem to have stirred things up on answerit. Apparently the wind pipe is also ripped out while the animal is still alive and hanging upside down ... so the trauma factor would be much higher than when a human makes a choice to end their life. There are towns in Canada where halaal slaughter houses are not allowed, nor are they allowed to "import" the meat and sell it as halaal: the SPCA was very prominent in making these bylaws. Recently in England there was a big write up by the SPCA about this slaughtering method and they released their measured findings about the needless suffering they documented.
My bottom line is to create an awareness that just because a religion sanctions something doesn't mean it is right - I've chosen this dietary area to hopefully make believers as well as non-believers pause for a moment. Who knows ... maybe this will lead to questioning other aspects of their beliefs
What Would Jesus Drive? Well, God preferred an old Plymouth, "God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden in a Fury"; Moses was said to ride a motor bike, "the roar of Moses’ Triumph is heard in the hills", while the apostles would carpool in a Honda, "the apostles were in one Accord".
Ripping out the windpipe is unnecessary and over the top.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
I watched the video of the link to a Sharia killing of a woman and a man today.
Haven't been online since - religious snuff movie? That doesn't even begin to express how it made me feel. It keeps replaying in my mind and I keep putting myself in the position of the person being stoned and yes, as freethinkers visiting the countries supporting Sharia you could very easily find yourself hoping the rocks they throw will kill you quickly ... for a victimless crime
And my stance is that it starts with those who are defenceless: and then grows into a universal acceptance within your religious culture and extends to any living being. In my country I was told Halaal/Kosher was a healthy eating plan!
As with the executions and stonings in Sharia based communities, we will not get the exact facts easily. I have tried looking for youtube links but they have been removed ... and apparently the law is that non-believers are not allowed into the slaughter houses ...
Tonight I leave you with this info which I found on the web and welcome your input. Thank you for listening - I am learning debating skills and appreciate your patience! rgds Sam
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2977086.stm
Sharia law expressly forbids knocking the animal out with a bolt gun, as is usual in British slaughterhouses. Instead, it must be sentient when its throat is cut, and the blood allowed to drip from the carcass while a religious phrase in praise of Allah is recited.
Campaign organisation Viva!, whose supporters include Heather Mills and Joanna Lumley, said in a statement: ‘Other practices which may be undertaken for religious reasons, such as polygamy or the stoning of adulterers, are not permitted in the UK.
Ascot racecourse said it was easier to store and cook only one type of meat. ‘All our chicken is halal. This is not advertised as the menus are kept as simple as possible,’ said a spokesman.
What Would Jesus Drive? Well, God preferred an old Plymouth, "God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden in a Fury"; Moses was said to ride a motor bike, "the roar of Moses’ Triumph is heard in the hills", while the apostles would carpool in a Honda, "the apostles were in one Accord".
As a vegan, sometimes the only way to find out if something has no meat or dairy is to see if it's parve (neutral) which is part of the whole kosher thing. I wish there was a better way, but sometimes its the only way to find out where some ingredients like vitamins were sourced from. Until vegans have as much representation in food processing as Jews (not feckin' likely!) I will be forced at times to appreciate that I can use their added information for my own reasons.
But besides that, I fucking hate the barbaric bullshit that is somehow made perfectly acceptable because it's being done for and by some religious group. If I tried to slaughter an animal like they do, I would be punished for animal abuse, but get a really old book and some silly hats and its all ok!
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!