Ritual Slaughter Research Articles

Religious Slaughter and Supranational Jurisprudence in the Context of Animal Welfare Science

Within the European socio-cultural landscape, which is increasingly attuned to animal welfare concerns and characterized by growing multiculturalism, ritual slaughter has become a subject of considerable debate due to its legal, economic, and health implications. This debate is increasingly fueled by interventions by judicial bodies that, not infrequently, have filled protection gaps in legislation on the relationship between human rights and the treatment of animals. In this review, the authors aim to describe the evolutionary path of supranational jurisprudence in the case of religious slaughter, focusing on the most recent animal welfare decision rendered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on 13 February 2024. This innovative judgement, in line with other precedents, indicates the orientation of the international and European law, which, driven by public morality, is increasingly characterized by the compression of human rights in favor of animal interests.

Decoding halal and jhatka slaughter: novel insights into welfare and protein biomarkers in slow-growing broiler chicken.

The first evidence of blood biochemical and proteomic changes in slow-growing broiler chicken subjected to ritual slaughter like halal (HS) and jhatka (JS) without stunning and commercial slaughter with electrical stunning (ES) was decoded. Significant stress indicators like cortisol and triiodothyronine were markedly elevated in JS birds, whereas increased (P < 0.05) levels of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase were observed in JS and ES birds. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled to MALDI-TOF MS elucidated the overabundance of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and l-lactate dehydrogenase that are positively correlated with stress in JS broilers. Bioinformatic analysis explored the multifaceted landscape of molecular functions. The study has uncovered that ritual slaughter performed without stunning against commercial slaughter with ES practices elicit varying levels of stress as evident from blood biochemistry and novel protein markers. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Strategies of Justification in Resolving Conflicts of Values and Interests. A Comparative Analysis of Constitutional Argumentation in Cases of Animal Sacrifice

Understood as reasons and rationale given by courts in rendering their decisions (DiMatteo 2015; Gudowski 2015), justification is of great importance when resolving morally sensitive issues. In such cases, judges are tasked with finding solutions to fundamental conflicts of incommensurable constitutional principles, which are inherently open-ended, general and in need of interpretation. Constitutional courts rely on different models of constitutional review depending on a given legal system and culture. However, their overarching goal is to consider ways of resolving conflicts and their justifications arising from a clash between constitutionally protected rights and interests and other values deemed worthy of protection by legislatures. The question addressed in this paper is how a constitutional court can resolve conflicts and communicate motives behind its decision in morally sensitive issues and how evaluative language is instrumental in achieving this strategic goal. Two cases are compared in which judges resolve a conflict between freedom to exercise religion and the animal welfare. In Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, the US Supreme Court addressed the constitutionality of animal sacrifice for religious purposes. In Poland, the Constitutional Tribunal in its decision (K52/13) ruled for the admissibility of ritual slaughter. Adopting the methodology of Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS), this paper demonstrates that while the argumentation in the Polish decision is heavily axiological, with Polish judges using value-based language to engage in fundamental values and principles, the US Supreme Court judges avoid broad, abstract reasoning by resting the argumentation on low-level and medium-level principles (Sunstein 2018) translated into concrete rules and standards.

Dreamworld or Dystopia?: The Nordic Model and Its Influence in the 21st Century

Dreamworld or Dystopia?: The Nordic Model and Its Influence in the 21st Century

The Effect of Kosher Determinants of Beef on Its Color, Texture Profile and Sensory Evaluation.

Traditional ritual slaughter is an underlying practice in religious Jewish communities and it translates into eating in accordance with core beliefs. This paper aims to comprehensively analyze factors determining the kosher status of beef (sex, slaughter method, and muscle type) and assess their impact on selected quality properties, such as color or texture profile. Sensory evaluation was also performed. The muscles were obtained from 80 carcasses (50% of heifers and 50% of young bulls). The experimental results indicate that each studied kosherness determinant influenced beef quality properties. The process of koshering caused the darkening of beef and lowered the share of color parameters red (a*) and yellow (b*). The influence of the type of slaughter on the values of adhesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness of beef was confirmed; higher values were mostly obtained in the muscles of cattle from kosher slaughter. As to sensory evaluation, the study showed that in the case of muscle type, the sex and slaughter method positively influenced only some of the properties.

Exploring the dynamics of women consumer preference, attitude and behaviour towards meat and meat products consumption in India

Urbanisation and changing food habits in India have resulted in a shift in consumption from cereals to protein-based foods. Women play a major role in India in all activities related to food at household and therefore, the current paper reports the findings of the qualitative work conducted to understand women consumers' preference and perception towards meat and its attributes as a function of their awareness. The study collected the responses from 510 women residents of Metropolitan city of Bengaluru, India using questionnaires directly by face-to-face interviews and generated data on preference for fresh meat, purchase habits, value added meat products consumption, awareness about meat quality, and future expectations about meat sector. Findings from the current study indicate that, chicken is the most preferred meat (41.76%) while beef was least preferred (5.88%). The 40.59% of respondents preferred meat tenderness as an important eating quality followed by juiciness (37.06%) and flavor (12.94%). Consumers rated ritual slaughter, animal welfare and food safety as relevant issues in meat production, whereas regulations pertaining to meat production, processing of meat and food labelling were of minor significance. The study provide an insight into the significance of various consumer behaviour with respect to choice of meat, awareness on ritual slaughter, animal welfare and processing which is helpful in prioritizing future consumer research and policy decisions in India.

Squashing the Beef: Why American Animal Rights Advocates Should Start Liking Jewish and Islamic Law

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Animal rights advocates in the West decry the mistreatment of animals, such as their use in experimentation and, most notoriously, factory farming. They identify the fact that animals are legally considered mere property as the source of these abuses. They also tend to view Abrahamic religions as responsible for this paradigm and in conflict with animal rights. The most flashpoint in this context is the battle over Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter. However, this Note argues, animal rights advocates mistarget their animosity. Jewish and Islamic law are quite favorable towards animals in comparison to American law, and while they obviously do not go as far as animal rights advocates would like in according rights to animals, they do cohere with modern animal rights views in several ways, such as by according animals a legal status distinct from mere property, subjecting the use of animals for food to heightened scrutiny, and providing more clearly for the enforcement of animal protection laws. As animal rights advocates and their opponents continue to debate the extent to which animals should be accorded greater legal protections under American law, these religious traditions show that the matters they are debating were considered and debated by Muslim and Jewish jurists thousands of years ago, and that, far from impeding animal rights, religious bodies of law constitute a positive example that can help advance them.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Ritual Slaughter Case: The Court of Justice and the Belgian Constitutional Court Put Animal Welfare First

Ritual Slaughter Case: The Court of Justice and the Belgian Constitutional Court Put Animal Welfare First

Blood, flesh and dreams: Religion and ritual slaughter in Metiaburuz

Blood, flesh and dreams: Religion and ritual slaughter in Metiaburuz

Feeding the Community: London’s Immigrants and Their Food, 1650–1800

Abstract Early modern London was a diverse metropolis, but we know little about the social lives of its migrant communities, especially how they fed themselves. Influenced by recent anthropology and sociology of food, migration, and ethnicity, this article examines specific communal food practices of two minority communities in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Sephardic Jews and French Protestant refugees. Rather than studying how unusual foods marked these migrants as different, it explores how mundane food matters shaped social relations within these communities. The first section analyzes the system of shechita, the ritual slaughter of meat by Jews, by drawing on records of community leadership, account books, and printed texts on the subject. The second section examines two institutions established to feed the Huguenot poor, a soup kitchen in Spitalfields and the hospital known as “La Providence,” both of which left extensive records of administration. Though different, the case studies show how migrant groups, through specific food practices, constructed and experienced community within the capital. The article adds to our knowledge of migrant lives in the city and highlights the richness of institutional records from within these communities. It also suggests how food history can connect minority stories to British history more broadly.

Meeting religious requirements and food safety during ritual slaughter: a case study on how Italian authorities handle the issue.

Meeting religious requirements and food safety during ritual slaughter: a case study on how Italian authorities handle the issue.

Kosher and Halal Slaughtering Before the Court of Justice: A Case of Religious Intolerance?

In December 2020 the Court of Justice of the EU approved the legality of a decree, adopted by the Flemish Region in Belgium, which introduced an outright ban on slaughtering of animals by means of traditional Jewish and Muslim rites. The Court, which did not adopt the opinion of Advocate General Hogan, effectively nullified an express derogation for ritual slaughtering found in the EU’s regulation on slaughtering. This article will critically examine the Judgment, arguing that it has not only misinterpreted EU regulations, but also compromised the rights of European minorities to religious freedom under the Charter on the basis of questionable and inconsistent arguments of animal welfare. Animal Welfare, Kosher Slaughtering, Halal Slaughtering, Religious Freedom, Religious Minorities in Europe, European Court of Justice

Glosa do Wyroku Trybunału Sprawiedliwości Unii Europejskiej z dnia 17 grudnia 2020 r. w sprawie Centraal Israëlitisch Consistorie van België i in., C-336/19

A decree of the Flemish Region provided for the use of reversible stunning as regards ritual slaughter. The decree was challenged by several Jewish and Muslim associations, claiming that it breached the Council Regulation No 1099/2009. In this framework, the Belgian court made a reference to the CJEU for a preliminary ruling regarding the interpretation of this regulation. In the commented case the CJEU sought a balance between the protection of animal welfare, as set out in Article 13 TFEU and freedom of religion, as guaranteed by Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. It ruled that Regulation No 1099/2009 does not preclude legislation of a Member State which requires, in the context of ritual slaughter, a reversible stunning procedure. The commentary discusses doubts about the motives of the CJEU’s ruling, in particular relating to unjustified prioritisation of animal welfare over freedom of religion, and concludes that the decree violates the right to freedom of religion protected by the Charter.

Animalsnas sacrifices in the Serbian annual calendar

In ritual practice, which is the part of the celebration of annual holidays, Serbs usually choose different types of animals. Thus, a pig is most often sacrificed on Christmas, on St. George?s Day - a lamb, on St. Elijah - a rooster, on St. Mrata - chicken, etc. The ritual slaughter of a certain animal, which is carried out by the wider community on a certain day of the year, in the Bulgarian-Macedonian-Serbian area is known as kurban. The paper discusses which animal species are sacrificed on a particular holiday in the annual calendar. Regional variations or parallels were also observed (cases of sacrificing the same species on different holidays). Attention was paid to the way the animal was treated before the act of sacrifice, then the rite of sacrifice itself was analyzed (who performs it, in what place, at what time, in what way), as well as its purpose. Also, later procedures with the sacrificed animal were analyzed and the role that is given to certain parts of the animal?s body (head, shoulder, bones, feathers, legs) in folk beliefs, and especially their usage in magical practice. The corpus of research consists of monographs, studies and scientific papers on the folk culture of the Balkan Slavs.

Poetry and the Camp: Epiphanic Witness and Ecstatic Cry in the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1895–98

Poetry and the Camp: Epiphanic Witness and Ecstatic Cry in the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1895–98

This is not a sacrifice: interpretations of the Madagh among Armenians

ABSTRACT While preparing and sharing food both at home and at special feasts remains a valued tradition among Armenians world-wide, the visible shedding of animal blood preceding its preparation does not. In the Republic of Armenia and around the Middle East, the ritual public slaughter of an animal remains common, whereas elsewhere in the diaspora, it is usually regarded as “backward.” Here the impact of these differences is explored through the ritual of madagh, often glossed in English as “sacrifice” and also as “community meal.” Madagh may be a community-wide celebration or a family-based ritual prepared with salt blessed by the priest and distributed to other households. Across regional variations, clergy and lay people negotiate the meaning of the ritual and collaborate on defining the experience and its importance. The madagh prompts a discussion of what is theologically correct and, beyond that, provides insights into deeply felt perceptions of relationships with God, connections to faith and religion as practiced at home as well as within the church. Based on research and fieldwork in Cyprus, Syria, Armenia, London, and the United States, this paper explores continuing practices of the madagh and the interpretations that emerge in conversation with those who participate.

Effects of Training and Motivation Practices on Performance and Task Efficiency

This paper solely focuses on the two Brunei halal meat slaughterhouses and offers suggestions on how these findings can translate into considerations for the halal industry in Brunei. In Islamic law, dhabīḥah is the prescribed method of ritual slaughter of all lawful halal animals. This method of slaughtering lawful animals has several conditions to be fulfilled. This method requires proper training and mindset in order to be carried out correctly. This research is explorative using qualitative primary data collection through the use of interviews. The participants comprise slaughterhouse employees using a purposive sampling method. The intent is that this research adds to the body of literature seeking to understand the complexities of training and motivation in meat slaughterhouses and offer insight on the complexities between training, motivation, and performance. It also identifies how differences in organisational structure can impact the approach to the training and employee motivation approaches.

Conventional versus Ritual Slaughter–Ethical Aspects and Meat Quality

Social pressure on increased protection and welfare of animals results mainly from the initiative of people living in the urbanized parts of the world. The respect for the right to freedom of religion, which is indisputably one of the fundamental liberal rights, must be taken into account. The right to freedom to religion also includes the right to follow a religion’s dietary recommendations. The aim of the literature analysis was to systematize the knowledge on the ethical aspects and quality of meat obtained from carcasses of animals subjected to conventional and ritual slaughter. Consistent with the importance of ritual slaughter for humans of two major faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is important that scientists be objective when evaluating these practices from an animal welfare and meat quality point of view. To evaluate the welfare of the slaughtered animal, it is necessary to openly discuss ritual slaughter and the improvement of its methods. The quality of meat and the degree of bleeding of animals do not always correlate with the ritual slaughter method used.

Case C-336/19 Centraal Israëlitisch Consistorie van België: Animal welfare and freedom of religion

Article 13 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) explicitly provides for animal welfare. Animals are sentient beings, and thus the EU and Member States have an obligation to take animal welfare into consideration. At the same time, Article 10(1) of the Charter guarantees freedom of religion. Case C-336/19 Centraal Israëlitisch Consistorie van België dealt with the balance between animal welfare and freedom of religion. Regulation 1099/2009 stipulates that animals must be protected at the time of killing and established the principle of prior stunning in slaughter. Ritual slaughter based on religion is accepted as a derogation of this principle. In the Centraal case, which is pivotal in the context of ritual slaughter, the opinion of Advocate General Hogan and the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union were divided over the interpretation of the contested regulation. Ultimately, the Court demonstrated a definite preference for animal welfare over freedom of religion. In so doing, the Court attached a high value to national legislative competence and in paying attention to changes in society to ensure that citizens are increasingly aware of animal welfare.

Benessere degli animali, libertà religiosa e mercato: la macellazione rituale nella giurisprudenza europea e comparata

Ritual slaughter regulation involves several interests: freedom of religion expression, animal welfare, market freedom and consumer protection. The analysis of the jurisprudence on this item is meaningful of all the problems the Courts and the legislators have to confront balancing different rights. In the European context a progressive attention is arising toward the animal welfare and a consequent limitation of freedom of religion. Recently, the analysis of the European and comparative jurisprudence highlights the increasing importance given to the transparency of the production process and to the role of a well informed consumer.