|
|
|
|
Islam’s
stance on what is permissible to eat and what is not is clear.
There are strict rules when it comes to meat regarding what is
allowed and what is forbidden. In Surat Al-Maida (The Table)
Allah says: "Forbidden to you [for food] are: Al-Maytatah
(the dead animals -cattle-beasts not slaughtered), blood, the
flesh of swine, and the meat of that which has been slaughtered as
a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for
idols, etc., or on which Allah’s Name has not been mentioned
while slaughtering, and that which has been killed by strangling,
or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of
horns - and that which has been [partly] eaten by a wild animal -
unless you are able to slaughter it [before its death] and that
which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on AnNusub[ (stone altars). [Forbidden]
also is to use arrows seeking luck or decision, [all] that is
Fisqun (disobedience of Allah and sin). This day, those who
disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion, so fear them
not, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion
for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you
Islam as your religion. But as for him who is forced by
severe hunger, with no inclination to sin [such can eat these
above-mentioned meats], then surely, Allah is OftForgiving, Most
Merciful."
The
Islamic practice of slaughtering animals by means of a sharp cut
to the front of the neck has frequently come under attack by some
animal rights activists as being a form of animal cruelty, the
claim being that it is a painful inhumane method of killing
animals. In the West, it is required by law to stun the animals
with a shot to the head before the slaughter, supposedly to render
the animal unconscious and to prevent it from reviving before it
is killed so as not to slow down the movement of the processing
line. It is also used to prevent the animal from feeling pain
before it dies.
German
Research Studies Pain
It
therefore may come as a surprise to those who have made such
acclimations to learn of the results of a study carried out by
Professor Wilhelm Schulze and his colleague Dr. Hazim at the
School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover University in Germany. The
study: ‘Attempts to Objectify Pain and Consciousness in
Conventional (captive bolt pistol stunning) and Ritual (halal,
knife) Methods of Slaughtering Sheep and Calves’ concludes that
Islamic slaughtering is the most humane method of slaughter and
that captive bolt stunning, practiced in the West, causes severe
pain to the animal.
In
the study, several electrodes were surgically implanted at various
points of the skull of all animals, touching the surface of the
brain. The animals were allowed to recover for several weeks. Some
animals were then slaughtered by making a swift, deep incision
with a sharp knife on the neck cutting the jugular veins and the
carotid arteries as well as the trachea and esophagus (Islamic
method). Other animals were stunned using a Captive Bolt Pistol (CBP).
During the experiment, an electroencephalograph (EEG) and an
electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded the condition of the brain and
the heart of all animals during the course of slaughter and
stunning.
The results were as follows:
I
– Islamic Method
1.
The first three seconds from the time of Islamic slaughter as
recorded on the EEG did not show any change from the graph before
slaughter, thus indicating that the animal did not feel any pain
during or immediately after the incision.
2.
For the following 3 seconds, the EEG recorded a condition of deep
sleep - unconsciousness. This is due to the large quantity of
blood gushing out from the body.
3.
After the above-mentioned 6 seconds, the EEG recorded zero level,
showing no feeling of pain at all.
4.
As the brain message (EEG) dropped to zero level, the heart was
still pounding and the body convulsing vigorously (a reflex action
of the spinal cord) driving a maximum amount of blood from the
body thus resulting in hygienic meat for the consumer.
II
- Western method by C.B.P. Stunning
1.
The animals were apparently unconscious soon after stunning.
2.
EEG showed severe pain immediately after stunning.
3.
The hearts of animals stunned by C.B.P. stopped beating earlier as
compared to those of the animals slaughtered according to the
Islamic method resulting in the retention of more blood in the
meat. This in turn is unhygienic for the consumer.
Western-Style
Slaughtering and Mad Cow’s Disease
Not
only is this method of stunning animals before the slaughter
severely painful as shown by the previous experiment, but there is
also a rising concern that this method may be a factor in the
spread of mad cow’s disease from cattle to humans as it was
discovered in recent research carried out at Texas A&M
University and by Canada’s Food Inspection Agency, that a method
called pneumatic stunning (which is the firing of a metal bolt
into the cow's brain followed by a pulverizing burst of 150 pounds
of air pressure) delivered a force so explosive that it scattered
brain tissue throughout the animal. This news is disturbing since
the brain tissue and spinal cord are the most infectious parts of
an animal with mad cow disease, which causes fatal Swiss cheese
like holes in the brain of the infected animal. It is more
disturbing to find out that around 30 to 40 percent of American
cattle are stunned by pneumatic guns.
Islamic
Regulations for the Slaughter
As
one can see from the previous studies, Islamic slaughtering of
animals is a blessing to both the animal and to humans alike. In
order for the slaughtering to be lawful, several measures must be
taken by the one performing the deed. This is to ensure the
highest benefit to both the animal and the consumer.
In
this regard, the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said:
"God calls for mercy in everything, so be merciful when you
kill and when you slaughter: sharpen your blade to relieve its
pain".
The
object used to slaughter the animal should be sharp and used
swiftly. The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the
flow of blood to the nerves in the brain responsible for pain.
Thus the animal does not feel pain. The movements and withering
that happen to the animal after the cut is made are not due to
pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles
deficient in blood. The prophet (peace be upon him) also taught
Muslims neither to sharpen the blade of the knife in front of the
animal nor to slaughter an animal in front of others of its own
kind.
The
cut should involve the windpipe (trachea), gullet (esophagus), and
the two jugular veins without cutting the spinal cord. This method
results in the rapid gush of blood draining most of it from the
animal’s body. If the spinal cord is cut, the nerve fibers to
the heart might be damaged leading to cardiac arrest thus
resulting in stagnation of blood in the blood vessels. The blood
must be drained completely before the head is removed. This
purifies the meat by removing most of the blood that acts as a
medium for microorganisms; meat also remains fresh longer as
compared to other methods of slaughtering.
Therefore
accusations of animal cruelty should very rightly be focused on
those who do not use the Islamic way of slaughtering but prefer to
use those methods which cause pain and agony to the animal and
could also very well cause harm to those consuming the meat.
Sources:
Aisha
El-Awady has a bachelor’s degree in medicine from
Cairo University and is currently working as instructor of
Parasitology in the Faculty of Medicine. She may be
contacted at aawady@islam-online.net.
