Netherlands to vote on law banning slaughter of meat by halal and kosher methods

TIMESONLINE… One of Europe’s first countries to allow Jews to practice their religion openly could pass a law banning centuries-old traditions on the ritual slaughter of animals.

An unlikely alliance of an animal rights party and the Freedom Party is behind a ban on kosher and halal slaughter methods in the Netherlands.

They claims the practices inflict unacceptable suffering on animals.

The far right’s support of the bill, which is expected to go to a parliamentary vote this month, is based on its strident hostility towards the Dutch Muslim population.

The Party of Animals, the world’s first such party to be elected to parliament, said humane treatment of animals overrode traditions of tolerance.

But Jewish and Muslim groups have called the bill an affront to freedom of religion.

Ruben Vis, a spokesman for the CJO, an umbrella group of Jewish organisations, said: ‘I can speak for the Dutch Jewish community and I think for the wider Jewish world, that this law raises grave concerns about infringements on religious freedoms.’

Abdulfatteh Ali-Salah, director of Halal Correct, said Muslims felt Dutch society was more interested in animal welfare than fair treatment of its citizens.

‘If the law goes through now there’s nothing else to do but protest,’ he said.

Dutch law dictates that butchers must stun livestock before it can be slaughtered, to minimise the animals’ pain and fear.

But exceptions are made for meat that must be prepared under ancient Jewish and Muslim dietary laws and practices.

These demand that animals be slaughtered while still awake, by swiftly cutting the main arteries of their necks with sharp knives.

Most Dutch are believed to favour a ban.

If the bill is passed, the Netherlands will join New Zealand, Scandinavian countries and Switzerland which have had bans for decades.

The Netherlands has a proud history of tolerance and was one of the first countries in Europe to allow Jews to live openly with their religion in the 17th century.

The country has around one million Muslims out of a total population of around 16 million. There are estimated to be around 50,000 Jews after 70 per cent of their community died in Nazi concentration camps in World War Two.

10 Replies to “Netherlands to vote on law banning slaughter of meat by halal and kosher methods”

  1. This law is a violation of freedom of religion, the atheist/giaist left wants to force us to live according to their religious believes rather then our own. Yes I insist that atheism is a religion, if requires a blind faith on a belief without any evidence to support it.

  2. Sorry Richard I am going to strongly disagree with you. You say it is a violation of the freedom of religion. Are you saying that religion is so wonderful that if it demands an amimal sacrifce to its particular god that we in a civilised society should tolerate it. Why not sacrifice some grain, water, or flowers to God to show one’s appreciation of his love at the alter. And we do it is called the harvest festival here in the good ol’ UK. Do we really need blood letting and prayers to such a blood thirsty God in civilised countries. If people want to do such things then Isreal and the Koran belt are fine places to offer such blood sacrifices. Western European civilisation is based on the one time sacrifice of Jesus and no further sacrificing of innocent animals to God.

  3. The Lament of the Kufffar
    Of the two halal is the more serious issue. Halal is everywhere here in the UK and it is a form of stealth halal. Supermarkets will not label it properly in some cases and are happy sell it to customer who unwittingly buy halal meat. Halal meat is cheaper. It avoids the stunning process and thus proceeds straight to to the throat cutting and prayers to Allah. In point of fact to be on the safe side and not be implicated in funding jihad against myself which will result in my own throat being cut I only eat fish and pork now. I am hardly a veggie and will get stick from the veggies but I simply do not want in any way to finance jihad. I never go to a muslim shop and never if possible order a cab from a muslim cab company. I use a local jamaican outfit for that. Boycotting islam is the one thing we can all do and opposing and not funding halal is the beginning of the fight back with our pockets. I urge everyone never to buy halal or in anyway have anything to do with any muslim business. Back in the days I was ignorant I went to a muslim fish and chip shop and lo and behold they had a tip jar for their brothers in palastine. That was what got me thinking. I am in a place that sells HALAL which if funded will be happy to cut my throat and sacrifice me to Al Lah or The Lah which is the correct name for the Muslim god. His name is simply Lah. He is The Lah. Reminds me of Judge Dread who was the The Law. Anyway, let us harken with all our hearts, minds and deeds unto the Lament of the Kuffar against this throat cutting Lah and deprive his jihad followers of our hard cash.

  4. Having said all this I do agree with you Richard on your point that atheism is a religion, and you are quite correct they are just as keen to impose their view in the same way the religious folks do. As a fisherman you do of course have the advantage of being free of halal when you catch fish. So that is good. However, in a war like this banning halal wil be a good thing and deprives the jiahd of one of its main funding sources. I hope I have won you over to some degree.

  5. As long as they don’t torture the animal they are just following their religion, I do disagree with the idea that all meat in any nation should be halal but if the Moslems or the Jews want to insist that their meat animals are killed in a certain manner in my opinion that is their right.

  6. Most meat in the good old uk is now halal. There is only one way to be sure that it is not halal and that is do a serious check beyond what it says on the label. Takes a a lot of time and effort hence my own advice to myself is to only eat pork products and fish. At least with those I am sure it is not halal. Halal is torture. Let us see what happens to a cow under halal. The cow trys to moo but its larynx is cut. It sees itself dying and this can take five minutes. Its spinal cord is intact as it has not been cut and it feels the pain of this death and thus it retains the instinct to moo and this causes it more pain as it cannot in its helplessness. Hardly a quick painless death but five minutes of the most excruicating torture. The video to see is on youtube. It is called This is halal. Once seen never forgotton it was this video that showed me just how horrible halal meat is. Halal meat is not quick and humane it is a long drawn out torture. Those five minutes must feel like forever under those conditions.

  7. Richard type in halal horror and watch a talking type video discussing the situation of halal in the UK. This video is just talk and few pictures. Another way to get it is to go to Pat condell’s channel and scroll down in his favourite’s section. Well worth a look to see how far halal has got in the UK. The guy who made it comes up with almost the same solution I did except he also says we can all convert to islam as well. Never!

  8. Just had some coconut juice. Noticed on the label it is halal. Even a nice little drink like that. Should have checked, but who would have thought coconute juice would be halal. Never buy Thai coconut juice. Those dhimmi Thais who make it have made that unacceptable for me too.

  9. It is amazing that a country with such liberal laws in relation to drugs seems to have a problem with the customs and traditions of muslims when it comes to killing animals..