Belgium has banned Religious Slaughter which means that over 500,000 Muslims and over 35,000 Jews will not be able to fulfil their Religious obligation by consuming meat and poultry that conforms to strict dietary laws as prescribed within both the Abrahamic faiths. The Muslim community of Belgium will now need to consume meat that has been stunned (electrocuted) and therefore implicating doubt in the meats that they will consume. Please read the article at the link below to see the issues with stunning.
Issues of mechanical slaughter and stunning
Here in the UK there is a dispensation given to faith communities when slaughtering animals, that they do not need to stun any animal prior to being slaughtered for the Muslim and Jewish communities, and therefore can practice “Non Stunned” within the legal framework of the UK. HMC since its inception has adopted a non-stunned policy solely on the basis stunning brings risk to the entire Halal ethos and therefore as a responsible certification agency, we would not do justice to the consumer who would look for assurance when purchasing HMC approved products.
We urge the Muslim community to support the cause of “Non-Stun Halal” and ensure that that this episode which has transpired in Belgium does not occur here in the UK.
If we do not unite on this issue, then there is a high possibility that our legal right on religious grounds will be taken away affecting over 3 million Muslims here in the UK. It will be an absolute shame on us as a community for not doing enough to protect our legal right to non-stun Halal and lose the legal right that had been recognised by the Law here in the UK.
We ask every Muslim to think about the future generations to come and what they will consume. Protect your legal right and protect non-stun Halal so that we can collectively ensure that the future generations get to fulfil their Islamic obligation.
Remember, one of the first things banned in 1933 by the Nazi Germans, was the right for the Jewish community to slaughter without stunning.
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HMC is the UK’s largest Halal certifying body, employing over 220 people. Last month alone, HMC staff spent 14,448 hours to ensure your food is genuinely Halal with 15,488 visits made to outlets nationwide. It is a registered charity and also a not for profit organisation. It is overseen by a voluntary body, the National Executive Committee that consists of mainly scholars who are the Trustees of the organisation. HMC has been set up to work in the favour of all Muslims and the consumer at large. HMC aims to regulate and at every point inspect Halal products from source to the consumer. HMC is committed to serving the Muslims and the wider community and it intends to provide peace of mind and security where required.
