New Zealand Lamb
Just this morning I heard a further twist in the tale of religious freedom in the UK. A debate has been running as to whether England should follow the EU in banning Halal and Kosher slaughter without prior stunning (rendering unconscious by electrical means) the animal first.
Now, as a Christian this has to set alarm bells ringing. A number of listeners to this early-morning BBC radio 4 program have written in along the lines of 'who cares about your religious rights, I want the right to know where the meat that I eat has been produced and how it has been slaughtered'. I thought that was a bit extremist and then the coup-de-grace came... A man from the New Zealand meat company informed us that most of the lamb produced there is for the Halal market - fair enough - then he went on to say that most of the slaughter-men are Moslems - right..... - WHO FACE EAST WHEN THEY ARE CUTTING THE THROATS OF THE ANIMALS. Now, I can't eat New Zealand lamb ever again, it appears to fall into the category of 'meat sacrificed to idols'. Of course the representative of the meat company dismisses this as merely 'spiritual' - what matters it to him if a long line of Moslems in his factories are making sacrifices as they are 'working'!!!! This is unbelievable. Just when spring has sprung and it seems to be a 'beautiful world' I am reminded to look upwards and forwards......