Belgian Muslims and Jews File Petitions to Protest Proposed Ban on Religious Slaughter of Animals

Brussels, MINA – Belgian Muslims and Jews on Wednesday showed 127,000 signatures protesting a proposed ban on slaughtering animals using their religious rules.

On the last day of about two weeks of debate over the proposed ban in the Capital region, representatives from the Muslim and Jewish communities and other members of the public gathered in front of the Brussels Regional Parliament, showing solidarity in filing their protest petition.

“We have been fighting for a long time, because this law that the Brussels Parliament is trying to pass in the name of protecting animal welfare is a serious violation of religious freedom,” Coskun Beyazgul, head of the Belgian Religious Foundation and Spokesperson for the Belgian Islamic Coordinating Agency, told Anadolu Agency.

“If such a decision were made in Brussels, Muslims and Jews would face a grave injustice,” Beyazgul said.

He added that if the law was passed, it would be because of the extreme right and racist groups.

“It would be terrible to convey this message from a place where so many different religions and cultures live in peace, in Belgium and the European capital, Brussels.”

Albert Gigi, Chief Rabbi of Brussels, added: “This law is unfair and wrong. It targets religious minorities, especially Muslims and Jews.”

He alleged that some groups tried to paint Jews and Muslims as anti-animal welfare

Gigi rejects claims that by stunning, beating, or suffocating by inhaling gas, hurt the animal less.

In December 2020, a ban on the slaughter of animals in the Belgian region of Flanders under traditional Muslim and Jewish rules was upheld by the European Court of Justice.

Muslim scholars argue that the halal slaughter method is humane and gives the animal less suffering, with almost instant death. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)