Halal Meat in Britain: Facts and Reality
It is easy to find fresh and Halal meat in Britain. Halal meat means livestock and poultry that is slaughtered according to Islamic law. Even different stores and restaurants now provide Halal meat options.
As an alternative option, you may even find “green” or friendly pastures across Scotland, Wales, and other regions. In which farmers and shepherds raise and care for their livestock. Its prices are suitable for most people, and they are almost cheaper than they are in several Arab countries.
In despite of that, you still find among Muslims those who do not care about finding and eating Halal meat. They usually say other sold meat is “cleaner” and sold by Ahl al-Kitab (people of the book) – meaning Jews and Christians who follow the holy books.
But is that true? is their meat cleaner and better? does it come from Ahl al-Kitab?
Consuming Meat in the UK
In the UK, most animals are not slaughtered, but killed by electric shock, strangulation, or drowning. Meaning they are not slaughtered but killed by other means, making them no longer permissible to eat, as per Islamic law, regardless of whether the one who killed them was Muslim or following other holy scriptural.
In addition, the blood is not drained from livestock that is killed by electrical shock, drowning, or strangulation and it remains within their body, making them less “clean”. This is also not permissible in Islam, where draining the blood is a requirement.
The sad part is some Muslims promote restaurants that sell non-halal food under the pretext that it has the best burger or steak. While forgetting many Muslims who work hard to provide halal food for their community.
And to address concerns about Muslims who use electrical shock in slaughtering livestock, it is true to a certain degree. As those slaughterhouses use electrical shock to calm the animals down, not killing them.
The electrical shocks do not lead to death but rather contribute to anaesthetizing it and calming it down, and therefore non-fatal shock does not prevent us from using it. And what matters is following up on slaughtering according to Islamic law after the shock.
Supporting Local Halal Food Stores
We as Arabs in the UK should support Muslim restaurants and shops that sell halal food. This helps us keep our identity and culture while being in a foreign country.
In return, those restaurants and stores that sell halal products should work on maintaining high standards of quality and hygiene.
In conclusion, eating halal meat in Britain is not difficult or expensive. And in general, we should be mindful of how much meat we eat. We should follow our deen by sharing some of the livestock sacrifices we make with the poor, such as Aqiqahs and Udhiyah.
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25 – 26 September: The 2021 London Halal Food Festival
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