Belgian Government wants to ban ritual slaughter in the country. The Belgian Government’s vote will outlaw the halal or kosher meats.
Ritual slaughter ban comes on the recommendation of the environment committees. Belgium’s Walloon and Flanders parliaments are for this ban. The new law will become implementable by 1st September 2019.
Ritual Slaughter A Problem for Muslims and Jews
Jews consider Kosher meat as acceptable to eat. They have a different ritual as per their religious rituals. For ritual slaughter, both Islam and Judaism require the butcher to kill the animal quickly. Animal Rights groups have worked to get this bill implemented as they consider stunning a better option to kill animals for food.
Belgian Protests Against Ritual Slaughter
The Muslim and Jewish communities are protesting against this ban by the Belgian parliament. The Muslim Community in Belgium is taking a hard stance against the ban on ritual slaughter. This ban is worrying the Muslims if they will be able to eat Halal meat as per their religious obligations.
The European Jewish Congress is also against the ritual slaughter ban in Belgium. The Jewish Congress says that this ritual slaughter ban sends a very terrible message to the European Jewish Community.
The European Jewish Congress wants the legislators to stop this assault on Jewish religious rights. The Congress believes it is one of the biggest attacks on Jewish rights in EU since Nazi Occupation of World War II.
Both the Muslims and Jews are actively protesting against this law. They consider the ritual slaughter ban is interfering with their basic religious rights.
Ban in Flemish Region A Problem
Over half of the Belgium’s Jewish population lives in the Flemish Region. The 40,000 Jews residing in this region strongly oppose the ban on ritual slaughter.
The Flemish Region politicians are trying to find a solution to this problem. The politicians want to find a middle ground by allowing electric stunning of small animals. The non-lethal killing of animals may solve the problem.
On the killing of larger animals, the politicians want them to receive irreversible stunning. An irreversible stunning involves the use of a bolt pin in the brain of the animal. As soon as the dot is slashed, the animal gets killed within a few seconds.
The somewhat similar ways of ritual slaughter of animals unite the Muslims and Jews in the EU. The Animal Welfare groups have united against the religious slaughtering of animals as they think it gives a painful death.
