Monday, 22 November, 2010, 16:37
"You are what you eat" - defending our right to non-sharia food
Operation Nehemiah does not object to people from different religious backgrounds being catered for by the food industry, but we feel that halal is not something that should be imposed on everybody else.
We believe that Christians and other non-Muslims should have the freedom to make an informed choice about whether or not to eat meat that has been religiously slaughtered according to sharia (Islamic law).
We are recommending that halal food should always be labelled as such, and that non-halal alternatives should always be available to consumers.
There is an open campaign by Islamic food agencies to integrate halal into the mainstream market and to extend it to non-Muslims. The World Halal Forum held its annual conference in London earlier this month (November), and has identified the UK as a pilot project for halal in Europe. This has already progressed much further than anyone might have realised until recently.
- Halal meat is from an animal killed and prepared in accordance with sharia, including Islamic prayer over the meat by a Muslim butcher. This meat is being sold at some of Britain's favourite supermarkets and is routinely served at some of Britain's most popular sporting venues, pubs, schools and hospitals, without the public's knowledge. The use of halal meat in the UK is increasing so fast that already most of the imported lamb on our shelves is halal.
- Halal, which means "˜permitted', also covers travel, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, finance and other areas.
- The spread of halal is often part of the commitment to Islamic mission (dawa) and the Islamisation of non-Muslim societies. The imposition of sharia practices on non-Muslims may be interpreted as an act of Islamic supremacy.
Please
Sign the petition and encourage others to do so to help stop the general Islamisation of food in the UK, as has occurred in other non-Muslim countries. Your support will make a difference.