The Dutch government is
drafting a decree that would give it the power to overrule anyone aiming to
practice ritual slaughter in the Netherlands. The move has received mixed
reactions from Jewish communities throughout the country.
The decree, which was signed
by Dutch Agriculture Minister Henk Bleker, is aimed at defining the practice’s
future in the Netherlands.
Ritual slaughter – which is
known as ‘scechitah’ to Jews and ‘dhabihah’ to Muslims – involves making an incision
across the animal’s throat, allowing the blood to drain out. The slaying of
conscious animals is a requirement of Jewish and Muslim law.
The declaration says that
slaughtered animals still conscious 40 seconds after having their throats cut
would be stunned –deeming them unsuitable for kosher or halal purposes. It also
issues regulations on knife sizes and where the animal can be cut.
Both faiths maintain that
ritual slaughter is humane because the animal quickly loses consciousness as it
bleeds to death.
However, animal rights
campaigners say the practice induces unnecessary suffering to the animal.
Whether or not the ritual
should be legal in the Netherlands has been under debate for some time.
Last year, the Dutch lower
house passed a total ban on the practice. However, the ban was later scrapped
by the Senate – which claimed it interfered with freedom of worship.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!