Islam and Horse Torture

[weevil]

[cross-posted]

On the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha ('Feast of the Sacrifice'), Muslims rejoice for the descending of the pilgrims back down to the earth. While Ramadan is a time of suffering and lack, where Muslims gouge themselves new wounds and cover themselves with blood in the streets after long fasting, Eid al-Adha is a time of fullness. A dark part of it, not frequently talked about with Westerners, is the torture and murder of innocent horses.

The justification for the torture and murder of innocent horses is contained within Volume 3, Book 47, Number 744 of the Sahih Bukhari Hadeeths:

One day I was sitting with some of the Prophet's companions on the way to Mecca. Allah's Apostle was ahead of us. All of my companions were in the state of Ihram while I was a non-Muhrim. They saw an onager while I was busy repairing my shoes, so they did not tell me about it but they wished I had seen it. By chance I looked up and saw it. So, I turned to the horse, saddled it and rode on it, forgetting to take the spear and the whip. I asked them if they could hand over to me the whip and the spear but they said, 'No, by Allah, we shall not help you in that in any way.' I became angry and got down from the horse, picked up both the things and rode the horse again. I attacked the onager and slaughtered it, and brought it (after it had been dead). They took it (cooked some of it) and started eating it, but they doubted whether it was allowed for them to eat it or not, as they were in the state of Ihram. So, we proceeded and I hid with me one of its fore-legs. When we met Allah's Apostle and asked him about the case, he asked, 'Do you have a portion of it with you?' I replied in the affirmative and gave him that fleshy fore-leg which he ate completely while he was in the state of Ihram.

Unlike the Judeo-Christian methods of animal slaughter which place utmost importance upon ensuring the animal suffers as little as possible, the ritual sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is exceptionally brutal, even compared to commercial slaughterhouse standards. Though the Hadiths specifically mention a 'whip and spear', the practicality has determined a new method for conducting this ceremony. A shafra (a ritual arab knife) is used to messily half-behead the horse. The horse lays there in agony, and you can see the fear in its eyes as it remains there slowly bleeding to death, blood gushing as its throat muscles writhe in panic and desperation.

Don't believe me? There are videos of this sort of thing, though I must warn you that this contains potentially triggering images of blood, gore and animal suffering. I know that it caused me to break down in tears: http://theync.com/media.php?name=11966-horrific-pre-feast

Whenever a discussion of Islam comes up all those who love the animal kingdom have a duty to say the truth:

Islam's founders tortured and murdered horses. To this day, Muslim adherents torture and murder horses. Religions whose traditions include horse-torture have no place in the free world.

There is plenty of other disgusting stuff about horses (and slaves, and all sorts of other beasts) in the Hadiths. They explicitly mention that no charity is ever owed to a horse or a slave. So remember, when we go and invade Muslim countries, we aren't just doing it to spread freedom and democracy, or protect our nation from terror. We are doing it to prevent horses from being tortured to death.

God bless America. Which way, Western man?

[weevil]

It isn’t a requirement, per se. It is something that happened in the Hadeeth, which means it is a tradition to be repeated. It doesn’t bear the same weight as a commandment, but it is still bonus points for Allah if followed.