No more bangers for some young Brits, as two schools have banned all pork products from their menu. They are to be replaced with halal versions to appease a minority of Muslims.
At Brinsworth Manor Infant and Junior Schools in Rotherham, where only 20 percent of the school’s population is Muslim, parents are furious at this “minor adjustment” which bans some of England’s favourite food.
Halal is the Muslim way of preparing meat, which involves slitting the neck of the animal and letting it bleed out. Halal slaughter is carried out by a Muslim butcher in an offering to Allah and avoids severing the spinal cord. Animal right activists have described the method as “barbaric”, since it often induces more suffering.
The decision by the schools comes on top of Britain’s chief veterinarian John Blackwell’s recent call for Muslims and Jews to use more “acceptable” methods of killing.
Parents consider the political correctness a scandal. One mother who did not want her identity made public due to fear of being called a racist said, “At home I pay more for organic and free range food. I am a Christian, but I don’t do it because of that, it’s more for the respect of how animals are killed.”
Because of the way the halal meat is prepared, it becomes a religious killing and, therefore, she doesn’t think it should be served in schools: “My daughter has been anxious about the change as she has concerns about if it is a humane killing. I believe in animal welfare rights and standards of meat production that halal does not follow,” she added.
Another mother explained that her child had less of a moral concern but that pork was his favourite meat: “My son is a really fussy eater and pork is his favourite meat. He’ll get bored having chicken all the time.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.