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‘Unbelievably Cruel’: Maltese MEP And Candidate Reject Allowing Halal Slaughter After Imam’s Calls

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A Maltese MEP, an MEP candidate and members of the public have voiced their opposition to allowing Halal slaughter in Malta’s abattoir after Imam Mohammed El Sadi called for an exception to be made for Muslims in Malta.

“The Imam in Malta wants animals to be killed in the traditional halal method,” MEP Marlene Mizzi said in a Facebook post yesterday. “Unbelievably cruel! No! No! No!”

“Not acceptable,” said Dione Borg, a PN MEP candidate. “We must oppose the Imam’s position strongly on the killing of animals for food. We are not going to accept a system where animals pass through severe suffering to be killed. I am not interested at all in the traditions that belong to the Imam, actually I would prefer if they change their traditions to end this animal cruelty. I appeal to the authorities to not accept the Imam’s proposition.”

The Imam said he hoped that local authorities would permit Halal killings in Malta soon

In an interview with TVM, Imam Mohammed El Sadi said that European law was not consistent with Muslim law, and said he awaited a day when the authorities would heed his call and change local procedure so halal slaughter could take place on the island.

“European law demands that all animals, not only animals killed by Muslims, are to be stunned before they are killed,” he said. “This does not agree with Maltese tradition. We’ve spoken to the authorities to give us permission or some exception so that the animals we want to kill are not stunned and I hope one day that this exception is given to us.”

“Before we kill the animal, we need to have a sharp knife, and the animal shouldn’t see the knife and shouldn’t be killed in front of other animals. Then, we kill the animal in the name of god. Bismalla allahu akbar. In the name of the merciful god in all that is merciful, allahu akbar.”

“We slit the animals throat and the veins in the neck so that the blood is fully released because blood is bad for one’s health,” he said. “It has a lot of microbes and germs that cause illness. Hence, that’s why it is important, and that’s the hygienic significance of halal, that all the blood is released from the animal so it does not remain in the meat.”

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Imam Mohammed El Sadi

A discussion broke out about whether Halal slaughter was acceptable or not

Some people said that Halal slaughter was not compatible with Malta’s animal abuse laws, while local Muslims said they wanted their meat to be in accordance to their faith.

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Another person said that Halal killing could be compatible with stunning under modern practices, while calling out undertones of racism in the discussion

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Halal meat has become relatively common in Malta, with the majority of restaurants importing the meat from abroad

With popular eateries serving Halal meat and supermarkets even having an entire fresh Halal section in their meat counter, Halal meat is widely available in Malta.

However, the abattoir in Marsa follows European procedure, which states that an animal must be stunned with a stun-gun before being killed.

A number of European countries such as Belgium, Austria and Denmark have banned or restricted Halal slaughter in their countries, while other countries like the Netherlands have allowed exceptions if “necessary to meet the actual needs of the local religious community”.

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What is Halal slaughter?

In Islamic law, Halal killing, or dhabīḥah, is the prescribed method of ritual slaughter of all lawful halal animals that includes a number conditions to be fulfilled.

The name of God or “In the name of God” (Bismillah) must be called by the butcher upon the slaughter of each halal animal separately, and it should consist of a swift, deep incision with a very sharp knife on the throat, cutting the wind pipe, jugular veins and carotid arteries of both sides, but leaving the spinal cord intact.

The method is used to comply with conditions stated in the Quran and in Islamic tradition.

Should Malta permit Halal slaughter? Let us know in the comments below

READ NEXT: 10 Markets In Malta Where You Can Find All The International Food You Want

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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