We rightly criticise Islam, but in doing so we must not forget the barbarism of some other non-Christian religions.
While, after the coming of Jesus, in the parts of the world that adopted Christianity animal sacrifices have disappeared, they are still practised elsewhere to this day.
The largest-scale massacre of animals is not to be found in the Islamic world but - this may be a surprise for some - in Hiduism.
Perhaps we should think of this next time we hear that Eastern religions are good for animals.
What animal equality campaigners have called a "slaughterhouse under the open sky" and "the world's largest mass animal sacrifice" is a religious festival to honour the Hindu goddess of power Gandhimai, that was held over the weekend at her temple in the remote village of Bariyapur in Nepal, near the Indian border.
Sword-wielding Hindus poured into Bariyapur, where the Gadhimai killing started on Friday at midnight and lasted two days, Friday and Saturday.
On the previous occasion in 2009, the "festival" of blood attracted a million Hindu worshippers from India and Nepal and an estimated 300,000 animals were killed, either by having their heads chopped off or by having their throats slit. This year the number of animals massacred was expected to be over half a million.
It always begins with the ritual killing of five animals: a goat, rat, chicken, pig, and pigeon. Buffaloes are then slaughtered throughout the first day.
As animal campaigners say and common sense tells, the untrained butchers cause a great deal of suffering to animals.
On Friday, thousands of animals' dead bodies and severed heads started piling up in a large field near the village where devotees were carrying out the sacrifices. The reason for the bloodbath lies in the Hindu belief that the goddess Gadhimai, pleased through the suffering and death of these animals, will give their killers health and prosperity.
"It is very festive here, everyone is excited," maintained Mangal Chaudhary, the head priest at the slaughter site.
"It is very bloody... you can hear the animals moaning," Rameshwor Mehta, 50, who was waiting to offer his prayers, told the media.
Sita Ram Yadav, a 55-year-old farmer, said the atmosphere was "like a carnival". He added: "I am offering a goat to Gadhimai to keep my family safe. If you believe in her, she grants your wishes."
Manoj Shah, a 45-year-old Nepali driver who has been attending the event since he was 6, explained: "It is the traditional way. If we want anything, and we come here with an offering to the goddess, within 5 years all our dreams will be fulfilled."
Animal campaigners and human beings with a minimum of compassion have denounced the brutality with which thousands and thousands of animals find death in the Gadhimai festival.
The director of the Indian branch of the Humane Society International describes the scene thus: "Pools of blood, animals bellowing in pain and panic, wide-eyed children looking on, devotees covered in animal blood, and some people even drinking blood from the headless but still warm carcasses."
Animal Welfare Network Nepal was is in Bariyapur to protest against the barbaric ritual, while a campaign to ban the massacre has attracted support from British actress Joanna Lumley and French cinema legend Brigitte Bardot, who has petitioned Nepal's president to end the "cruel tradition" .
The rising acceptance of halal meat due to its scientific and hygienic slaughtering and processing methods is spicing up the US 600 billion global halal meat market impressively.
ReplyDeleteStudies have shown that halal slaughter protects consumers from many diseases which are not possible in the conventional methods used in many countries.
Ahead of a key halal conclave in Sharjah, experts opine that halal slaughter of animals has a great role in preventing infectious diseases, and is seen one of the main reasons for the popularity of the product even among non-Muslims.
“The way the slaughtering process is carried out is of significant importance for both human health and safety and quality of the meat. Halal slaughter involves cutting of jugular veins, throat and oesophagus, which facilitates draining of blood from the animal and thus prevents growth and multiplication of harmful micro-organisms,” said Dr. Ibrahim Hussein Ahmed Abd El Rahim, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah Al-Mukarama, Saudi Arabia.
“Prevention of neck separation is very important to complete the bleeding process to remove all the blood from carcass. Blood is a typical media for proliferation of different kinds of microbes, therefore its complete removal from the slaughtered animal is vital to protect consumers from infectious diseases,” he said.
Dr. Ibrahim Hussein Ahmed Abd El Rahim will be attending the upcoming Halal Congress Middle East that will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from December 16 to 18, 2013. It will be organized alongside the 2nd OIC Halal Middle East Exhibition which is held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Globally, the halal market that spans from food to finance and tourism is worth US 3 trillion. According to latest estimates, halal products have two billion consumers worldwide that grows more than 20 per cent annually.
Realizing the importance of the subject, a panel discussion will be dedicated to the science behind halal during the three-day congress. To be chaired by Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, Sheikh Al-Azhar, Grand Mufti of Egypt, the discussion will take up issues of stunning, mechanical slaughtering, tasmiah and animal feed, among others.
Panellists for the discussion include Mufti Taqi Usmani from Pakistan; Mufti Mustafa Ceric from Bosnia; Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, from Russia, Mr Nabil A Molla, Secretary General of GCC Standardization Organization and Dr. Abdulqahir Mohammad Qamar of International Islamic Fiqah Academy, Saudi Arabia.
It will also feature representatives from the Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries; Emirates Standards & Metrology Authority-UAE; National Accreditation Council-Pakistan; JAKIM – Halal Certification Authority-Malaysia; MUI – Majlis Ulema-Indonesia; and Halal Science Centre-Thailand.
Besides, reflecting the surging trade between the region and Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, has signed up as Platinum Sponsor to talk about the Goodness of Australian Meat.
The association of Meat and Livestock Australia with the congress comes at a time when Australia’s red meat exports to the Middle East in May this year totalled 16,492 tonnes, a 46 per cent increase year-on-year and 7 per cent above the previous record set in April 2013, according to Meat and Livestock Australia figures.
Other topics to be taken up for discussion at the congress include tapping the growing halal trade; halal cosmetics, pharmaceuticals & tourism; benefits of halal certification; Islamic banking & takawful; technology for halal food traceability and harmonization of halal standards.
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamis.org.uk
The above comment is horsesh*t propaganda.
ReplyDeleteThe term 'Hinduism' is a geographical rather than theological label, given by Moslem invaders of India to all those south of the Indus river, hence 'Hindus'. It covers thousands of different beliefs and religions. I became a vegetarian myself after becoming a Hindu, then a Hare Krishna devotee.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of animal sacrifice is, like most of Islam, religion in the mode of darkness or ignorance. It is religion for the demoniac, and those who practice it are doomed to reincarnate as animals themselves.
The Vaisnava understanding of Buddhism is that Lord Buddha incarnated specifically to deny the Vedas (scriptures of 'Hinduism') and preach ahimsa (non-violence) because parts of the Vedas were, as here, being abused to justify wholesale animal slaughter.
Performance of the puja results in flow of wealth to the household, and in prosperity in any business venture or enterprise undertaken by the bhakta. Along with lord Ganesha, the Goddess laxmi is always worshipped whenever a new business is being started, or a new vehicle is bought, etc. hindu pandit in germany
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