halal

Writing in last week's Spectator magazine, Rod Liddle makes the decision that he will no longer buy meat from supermarkets because it may be halal; he doesn't like the way cattle are killed to produce it and supermarkets don't indicate whether their meat is halal or not. This week two letters were published in the magazine, one from someone who deplores "the widespraed and unnecessary use of halal slaughter", the other maintaining that the method is less cruel since it is quick and death is instant. Personally I don't care if the meat I eat is halal or not - it's the taste is what I'm interested in. But I just don't approve of the way halal slaughter is conducted: it's primitive and beastly.
It's also against the law. We have a law in this country that states that all cattle must first be stunned before slaughter. So why is one section of the population allowed to break the law? Answer: because that section does it for religious reasons and we must respect their religion.
I can understand the government not wanting riots on their hands because of what a small section of the population, not allowed to follow their ancient and barbaric ritualistic practices, might do in protest; I can understand this because governments have to govern and so must compromise their beliefs with pragmatic exercises in control i.e. law and order. What a pickle governments get themselves into: they make a law and then apply it only to one section of the population. Maybe that's what governing is all about.
Well, I don't like it one little bit. But what I find even worse is the attitude of the RSPCA. You know what that stands for, of course: the royal society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.... I shall write it again: the royal society for the PREVENTION OF CRUELTY to animals. Yet they don't say that supermarkets are wrong to sell halal meat; they merely say that supermarkets should label their meat to inform the public which is halal and which is not. Rod Liddle isn't going to buy supermarket meat any more; well I'm not going to support the RSPCA any more because it is evident that they do NOT protect animals from cruelty.