Halal refers to religiously acceptable products and food according to the Muslim faith. The slaughter of animals for Halal meat requires certain rules to be respected indicated in the Koran and the Dzabiha (Halal slaughter rules). In practice, the major difference to conventional slaughter is that the animals are most often not stunned prior to slaughter, although more and more Imams around the world are starting to see the benefit of stunning and accepting some form of it. Although both methods have been subjected to criticism on animal welfare grounds, religious slaughter without stunning receives more attention due to the fact that the animals are fully-conscious during stressful restraining methods and the incision of the knife.
The slaughter of animals is of ethical importance because animals are sentient and able to feel pain and fear. The Muslim faith advocates that animals be respected and not have to suffer unnecessarily.
The purpose of this specific website is to expose the practices that are taking place inside Halal slaughterhouses. The hope is that religious leaders, consumers of “Halal” meat and Halal certifiers will put their foot down when practices are clearly causing animal suffering. Additionally, this website provides scientific information and advice to Halal slaughterhouses on how to make improvements and gives positive examples of equipment and handling techniques for better compliance with Halal requirements and better animal welfare.
