Prayer to “merciful” Allah before slitting a conscious animal's throat and bleeding it to death in UK Halal slaughter

Muslim Halal slaughter of animals involve the recitation of the Islamic Bismillah prayer in Arabic: ‘In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful’, before slitting the throat of a fully conscious animal and leaving it to bleed in agony to death.

Muslims say the animals must remain conscious to hear the prayer, although some disagree arguing for the need to care for animals. [It is more likely though that the cruel method is the right way, as it is consistent with other “barbaric” Islamic practices, such as stoning to death for adultery, cutting off the hand of thieves and robbers, death penalty for blasphemy and apostasy.]

UK law requires animals to be stunned before slaughter so that they would be unconscious during the process. But exceptions are allowed for religious reasons and Muslims and Jews have used it to not stun animals in the production of Halal and Kosher meat. Others also have followed suit, not for religious reason but to cut cost, and the practice has been increasing.

British Veterinary Association, and the Farm Animal Welfare Council, which advices the Government, have called for this practice to be banned saying it causes ‘intolerable cruelty’.

Currently there is no legal requirement for Halal meat to be labeled and campaigners have called for compulsory labeling to give consumer a choice. Two months ago, the Daily Mail (UK) exposed shops selling unlabeled Halal meat to unwitting customer. In June, the European Parliament decided to require labeling of Halal and Kosher meat that came from unstunned animals, but needs approval from member states before the proposal becomes law.

[Contradictions: Prayer to the most “merciful” Allah before unmercifully slaughtering an animal?

Are there any similarities between halal slaughter and what happened to Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Rodionov and others like him?

Muslims want to be give the choice to eat their halal meat, but will they and those who defend the Muslims' and others right to chose, also give those who do not want to eat halal meat, the choice not to eat it? Choice for Muslims but not for others? But the reals solution is not to label it but to ban it altogether.

It would be very interesting what that left wing animal rights activist, Volkert van der Graaf, who assassinated Pim Fortuyn for criticizing Muslims, and others like him, think of this particular Islamic cultural practice? Would he agree that halal slaughter is culturally “backward”, as Fortuyn would have said?]

Source: Daily Mail (U.K.)

Related story: Boycott Allah's Halal meat secretly being sold without labeling