Since long animal, social and political activists of Britain are demanding ban on Halal meat. According to them sacrificing animals in Halal way is completely inhuman.

At present, UK law generally requires animals to be stunned before slaughter to minimize suffering, but it provides legal exemptions to some religious communities (Muslims and Jewish) so that they can practice Halal and Kosher dietary process.

According to one rough estimate about 88% of animals slaughtered for food in UK are stunned prior to death. But Animal rights organizations like the ⁠RSPCA are demanding law for mandatory pre-stunning of animals before slaughter. But Muslim community leaders are arguing that such restrictions will infringe on their religious freedom.

RSPCA stands for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It is the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in the world, operating primarily in England and Wales to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals, as well as advocate for animal rights.

What is Stunning:

Stunning is the process of rendering an animal unconscious before it is killed. Its primary goal is to minimize pain, fear, and stress while the animal is being killed.

Most poular method of stunning is Electrical Stunning, in which electric current is passed through the animal’s brain, or through the brain and heart simultaneously. This induces immediate unconsciousness or cardiac arrest. It is commonly used for pigs, sheeps, goats and poultry.

Last year in June 2025, a debate to ban halal food surfaced in Parliament also. But the arguments by the ban supporting MPs were strongly resisted by Muslim MPs and community leaders that the ban will affect their religious freedom. But the ban supporting MPs argued that they believed non-stun slaughter is barbaric and didn’t fit in with European culture and modern-day values and should be banned, as some EU nations had already done.

But Muslim scholars are justifying halal meat, as according to them, in Islam, an animal intended for food must be healthy at the time of slaughter, and must be killed by a single cut to the throat and stunning animals may cause suffering and increases the likelihood of an animal dying before its throat can be cut.

The members of Muslim Council of British has moved one step further and warned that Muslims of UK would leave UK if Halal meat is banned in UK.

In my opinion, since ancient times the society has changed a lot and now we must adhere to our modern, present and scientific ways of living even if it is above our religious beliefs.

Author is a teacher in New Delhi, India.

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