Belgium bans religious rituals involving the killing of animals in the face of Jewish and Muslim protests | Internationale

"It's a sad day for Jews in Europe, a sad day for freedom of religion in Europe," lamented the president of the rabbis The Europeans, Pinchas Goldschmidt, just hours before coming into force of the norm in Flanders. The sacrificial ritual of each religion has its peculiarities, but the two do not use a pressure gun, electric shock or gas so that the animal will faint before being killed.

In the Muslim tradition, the murderer cuts his neck looking towards Mecca by invoking Allah. The jugular and carotids of the animal are cut, but the spinal cord is left intact. Cattle, sheep and poultry should be completely and as quickly as possible. The death practiced by Jews in their rituals involves a deep and uniform cut in the throat with a sharp knife. Both methods are considered cruel by animal badociations and the Belgian political clbad has proposed to eliminate them.

This ban has been criticized. The debate confronts animal welfare advocates and religious rights advocates to preserve their traditions, creating an unusual alliance between Jewish and Muslim representatives of the country. But neither the pressure of its leaders, nor the complaints against the justice, nor the calls to the Council of State so that the Walloon and Flemish governments do not suspend the law did not work. "This ban seriously threatens the annual festival of sacrifice," said the Belgian Muslim executive in a statement.

Faced with the voices that see in the restrictions an excessive intervention of the public authorities in the religious field, both inspiring and animal badociations. , engaged in the campaign to ban unseen sacrifices, respond that their intention is not to go against a tradition, but to prevent the animal to suffer needlessly. In addition, they consider that the stunning of the animal is consistent with the religious rite. "There are people who want to continue living in the Middle Ages", criticizes Anne de Greef, director of the animal rights organization GAIA, which has

In the same spirit, the Court of Justice from the European Union ruled in May 2018 that the obligation to stun the animal before slaughter does not violate religious freedom and is legitimate for its protection. However, both religious communities – it is estimated that in Belgium, a country of 11 million inhabitants, live more than 500,000 Muslims and 30,000 Jews – deny that the pain suffered by animals is greater when the realization of the ritual incision when they are aware of it. "Respect for the welfare of animals is part of the very essence of Islamic philosophy and practice," says the Belgian Muslim executive.

The European Union allows each state to decide whether religious rituals involving sacrifices must adhere to the precept of stunning the animal before it dies. Most European countries, including Spain, grant this right for religious reasons, but Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Slovenia and now Belgium do not accept any exception.

Although the measure is not exclusive to Belgium, representatives of the Jewish community have reacted strongly since the adoption of the law by the Flemish and Walloon parliaments, accusing them of triggering "the worst crisis since the Second World War "when Belgium was occupied by the Nazis. The xenophobic argument has also entered the debate. Some see the far right behind the norm. However, although Flanders is governed by the nationalist law of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), some of whose members are accused of having links with the Nazis, the liberals in Wallonia are responsible and in both cases, the decision is made. was adopted with broad consensus.

Some MPs against the standard prefer to focus on their economic impact: they argue that the measure threatens the viability of some slaughterhouses and will remove jobs, mostly unqualified, to get another job. In addition, they question their usefulness for the welfare of animals: the meat halal or kosher could no longer be produced in Belgium to be imported from countries where the ritual is allowed, your purchase abroad is not forbidden.