https://sputnikglobe.com/20230214/finland-jails-man-for-breach-of-animal-welfare-laws-with-halal-slaughter-1107394956.html
Finland Jails Man for Breach of Animal Welfare Laws With Halal Slaughter
Finland Jails Man for Breach of Animal Welfare Laws With Halal Slaughter
Sputnik International
A total of 2,500 sheep were killed in the years between the years 2003 and 2020 using the halal method seen as "inhumane" as it features no pre-stunning of animals.
2023-02-14T11:43+0000
2023-02-14T11:43+0000
2023-02-14T11:43+0000
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A district court in the northern Finnish province of Ostrobothnia has sentenced a man to two years' prison for slaughtering sheep using halal practices.The halal method practiced by Muslims involves bleeding the cattle without stunning first, which according to Finnish animal welfare laws amounts to cruelty. Religious slaughter, where bleeding occurs simultaneously with stunning, is at present permitted in Finland, but only at special slaughterhouses under the supervision of a veterinarian. The defendant assured the court that the animals had been stunned with a hammer or axe beforehand and refuted the accusation of brutal and cruel treatment.The court also ordered the defendant to pay more than 60,000 euros ($65,000) to the state in criminal proceeds and was banned from keeping animals in future.The prosecution initially demanded a longer prison sentence and payment of 100,000 euros, citing an "exceptionally large-scale" slaughter, as a total of 2,500 sheep, and a multitude of other animals including turkeys, were killed between the years 2003 and 2020 using the halal method.The case also involved a health offense (related to transporting meat to buyers without necessary refrigeration equipment), and an environmental offense (related to the handling of slaughter waste). A total of 10 other individuals were also charged with associated offenses including health endangerment and aiding and abetting animal cruelty, with the district court imposing suspended prison sentences and fines.The police began investigating the case more than two years ago, after animal welfare authorities had alerted them to the fact.The halal method practiced by Muslims is in many ways similar to the kosher one practiced by Jews as both involve a single cut to the throat and require the blood to be completely drained.The conflict between animal rights and freedom of religion has been encapsulated in the growing movement to ban Jewish and Muslim methods of slaughter across Europe as "inhumane". In 2019, Belgium’s northern region of Flanders banned the slaughter of cattle and poultry without pre-stunning, which many interpreted as a discriminating measure against both Muslim and Jewish communities in the country.Despite the fact that Finland's Muslim community is much smaller than in fellow Nordic nations, almost two-thirds (62 percent) of Finns voted in a poll that Islam was fundamentally incompatible with Finland's culture and values.
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halal method, kosher method, slaughter practices, animal cruelty, requirement for pre-stunning
halal method, kosher method, slaughter practices, animal cruelty, requirement for pre-stunning
Finland Jails Man for Breach of Animal Welfare Laws With Halal Slaughter
In recent years, a growing opposition to Jewish and Muslim traditional methods of slaughter as "inhumane" has swept through Europe, symbolizing a conflict between the preservation of animal rights and freedom of religion.
A district court in the northern Finnish province of Ostrobothnia has sentenced a man to two years' prison for slaughtering sheep using halal practices.
The halal method practiced by Muslims involves bleeding the cattle without stunning first, which according to Finnish animal welfare laws amounts to cruelty. Religious slaughter, where bleeding occurs simultaneously with stunning, is at present permitted in Finland, but only at special slaughterhouses under the supervision of a veterinarian. The defendant assured the court that the animals had been stunned with a hammer or axe beforehand and refuted the accusation of brutal and cruel treatment.
The court also ordered the defendant to pay more than 60,000 euros ($65,000) to the state in criminal proceeds and was banned from keeping animals in future.
The prosecution initially demanded a longer prison sentence and payment of 100,000 euros, citing an "exceptionally large-scale" slaughter, as a total of 2,500 sheep, and a multitude of other animals including turkeys, were killed between the years 2003 and 2020 using the halal method.
26 September 2022, 13:37 GMT
The case also involved a health offense (related to transporting meat to buyers without necessary refrigeration equipment), and an environmental offense (related to the handling of slaughter waste). A total of 10 other individuals were also charged with associated offenses including health endangerment and aiding and abetting animal cruelty, with the district court imposing suspended prison sentences and fines.
The police began investigating the case more than two years ago, after animal welfare authorities had alerted them to the fact.
The halal method practiced by Muslims is in many ways similar to the kosher one practiced by Jews as both involve a single cut to the throat and require the blood to be completely drained.
The conflict between animal rights and freedom of religion has been encapsulated in the growing movement to ban Jewish and Muslim methods of slaughter across Europe as "inhumane". In 2019, Belgium’s northern region of Flanders banned the slaughter of cattle and poultry without pre-stunning, which many interpreted as a discriminating measure against both Muslim and Jewish communities in the country.
Despite the fact that Finland's Muslim community is much smaller than in fellow Nordic nations, almost two-thirds (62 percent) of Finns voted in a poll that Islam was fundamentally incompatible with Finland's culture and values.
