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Monday 12 August 2013

How Meat Is Prepared For Halal Meals

By Andrea Davidson


The way Muslims treat animals to be slaughtered is the subject of many misleading claims. In fact, the meat that is used in halal meals is among the most human and cared for meat you can eat. The religion teaches people to have respect for animals and to give them the love and kindness they are truly deserving of.

These days halal food is omnipotent. You probably don't know if the food you're eating right now has been butchered and prepared to the strict standards Muslims require. The truth is that it's found wherever you eat. Places such as restaurants, pubs and even schools may be serving you it. That's not a bad thing either. In fact, oftentimes it's better to have food that's prepared in accordance to Sharia Law.

Halal is any food that is lawful for Muslims to consume. In terms of meat, the animal that's used also comes into play. For instance, Islam forbids them to eat any product that is derived from a pig. However, there are also restrictions on the way animals are actually killed. Animals have to be healthy and the person doing the slaughtering must dedicate the kill to God.

What is often overlooked by critics of their methods is that Muslims really respect the animals they kill. Animals killed in the name of Islam are not subject to the cruel and brutal deaths that some would have you believe. As in the Jewish religion, the idea is for the animal to receive a quick and painless death. In practice this means cutting the jugular vein, carotid vein and the windpipe of the animal with one swipe of the knife. Afterwards the animal is left to bleed out.

Oftentimes. Animals are stunned first before being killed. No-one really knows if the animal endures more or less suffering than the single slit to the throat method. According to some sources, up to 90% of the animals killed in halal food production are stunned before being killed. This is not so different than the mainstream way of producing food, accept that there is no dedication to God in mainstream food production.

Animals that have been the subject of torture or mistreatment cannot be slaughtered in the name of Allah, and therefore cannot be used as halal food. This one fact alone should let people know that the religion has a caring attitude towards its animals and that the meat is going to be of a high standard. In mainstream food production, animal rights often take a back seat to the need to mass produce food. This can mean that an animal is often the subject of mistreatment before it goes to slaughter.

Halal food is very distinctive because it is labelled as such. When you choose it you know that the food has been made in accordance with Islamic Law, which is the word of the Koran. Food prepared in accordance with the Koran has no blood products in it and no alcohol. Additionally, it should be noted that Muslims are forbidden to eat carnivorous animals as well as birds of prey. The name for such forbidden foods is haram, which when translated means forbidden.

Halal meals, known as lawful meals, unjustly have a bad reputation. Muslims are taught that animals should be respected and cared for. And, contrary to what some may think, their slaughtering practices are designed to inflict minimum discomfort on the animal. These days the foods can be bought everywhere, including online, at specialist stores and national supermarkets.




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