YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Dutch bill against ritual slaughter will end up mostly harming Jews, as usualA few weeks ago, the Party for the Animals submitted a private law to the Dutch parliament to prohibit religious slaughter without stunning the animal first. The party has two seats in Parliament. This should not be surprising in a country where - according to a National Geographic study - the average dog owner prefers the relationship to his pet above that of his human partner.
Almost all ritual slaughter of an estimated two million animals in the Netherlands is performed by Muslims. The number of kosher slaughtered cows, sheep and goats is between 1,500 and 3,000. Jews, however, would be the sole victims if the law passes, as kosher slaughter does not permit prior stunning. Most and perhaps even all Muslims accept eating meat of Halal-slaughtered animals that have been stunned before.
Thus, as in so many cases in contemporary Europe, the small organized Jewish community was sucked into a debate that originated from the size of the Muslim community, attitudes toward it and the way some Muslims conduct themselves.
The arguments in the parliamentary debate reflect the state of norms and values in the partly post-Christian Netherlands. The discussion was permeated by a highly selective focus on one element of animal welfare, statements on the borders of freedom of religion, and how obsolescent it is. Included also were specific anti-Islam feelings, as well as observations on the misconduct of mainly Muslims in their slaughter practices. >>> Manfred Gerstenfeld | Wednesday, March 09, 2011
