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... “I’m about to put a smack down on my brothers and sisters,” Dedic wrote in her Facebook post on Oct 20. “Why on earth [do] they think it is okay to look into the eyes of the already generous US taxpayer and say your charity is not good enough for me. I demand special treatment.” ...

Confusion about what constitutes halal meat sparked a blunder at a community barbecue in Fairview on Saturday. After failing to provide halal meat, event organizers tried to remedy the oversight by having a local politician bless regular hotdogs. Patricia Arab, Liberal MLA for Fairview-Clayton Park, said a prayer over the hotdogs, mistakenly thinking this would make the meat halal. Meat that is halal, which means “permissible” in Arabic, is prepared following precise instructions detailed in the Qur’an. A halal animal must be healthy and fed a natural diet that does not contain animal byproducts. When it’s slaughtered, it is blessed...

Muslims advocates gathered at the California state capitol. Photo courtesy of the Council on American-Islamic Relations CA. Sacramento, Calif., Jul 10, 2014 / 04:07 am (CNA).- Proposed California food safety rules for butchering animals have raised concerns among the state’s Muslims, who say the rules would prevent them from practicing their religious beliefs. “Religious freedom is an important issue for all Americans. It is at the core of the freedoms our country was founded on and a value we pride ourselves on,” Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council of Islamic Relations’ San Francisco Bay Area Office, told CNA July...

The Ministry of Defence admits it does not label food as halal or kosher in its UK or overseas bases, with only soldiers who request these meals told what they are eatingSoldiers are unwittingly being fed halal meat in military bases , the Ministry of Defence has admitted. The MoD has confirmed that only troops who request specific meals are told the source of the meat they are eating. Food served in MoD canteens in both UK and permanent bases abroad is not routinely labelled to indicate it has been slaughtered using religious methods to ensure it is halal or...

Cadbury chocolates sold in Malaysia have been cleared of containing pork, the country's top Islamic body said Monday in a statement that should lessen calls for a boycott of the British confectionary company after earlier tests suggested two types of chocolate bar contained pig DNA. The now apparently discredited findings last month by the Ministry of Health sparked outrage among some Islamist groups in Malaysia, who called for a boycott of all Cadbury's products. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, is also testing Cadbury chocolates, although the two products at issue in Malaysia are not sold there. Under Islamic...

...after two batches of chocolate ended up with pork DNA Muslim groups in Malaysia call for holy war against chocolate maker Confectionery giant accused of 'crossing the line' after pork traces found Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Almond 'tested positive for traces of porcine DNA' Company recalls two batches of their product amid threats of legal action Groups call for Cadbury factories to be 'shut down immediately' Malaysian Muslims have called for a holy war against the confectionery giant Cadbury – after pork DNA was found in some of its products. A group of more than 20 Malay-Muslim organisations say they...

Supermarkets and restaurant chains are selling halal meat to millions of customers without telling them. The switch to slaughtering animals in line with Islamic ritual saves money because the end product can be eaten by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. More than 70 percent of all New Zealand lamb in supermarkets is from halal abattoirs—a fact not stated on labeling. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer all confirmed yesterday they sell the imported meat. …

Pizza Express is serving ritually-slaughtered halal chicken in every dish on its menu that uses the meat, it has emerged, but customers are only told that the chicken they are eating is killed in line with strict Islamic law if they ask staff, as it is not stated on menus. Under Islamic law, chicken can only be eaten if the bird’s throat has been slit while it is still alive. A Koranic verse is also recited during the ritual. Some non-Muslims object to halal because they claim the method of slaughter can cause unnecessary suffering. …

For the first time, the federal government is required to purchase and provide food banks emergency supplies of kosher or halal products, serving a population whose survival could otherwise be at odds with strictures of faith. The void was first revealed in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the East Coast in the fall of 2012 and led to food shortages for those most in need. A Jewish philanthropic organization in New York alerted lawmakers to the rising numbers of people coming to its food banks and often finding shelves devoid of kosher offerings.

U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)—which Congress enacted to guide the Executive Branch and courts in defending that right—would not directly protect kosher or halal meat-processing corporations from a hypothetical federal rule that by generally banning certain meat-processing practices effectively banned kosher and halal meat processing by incorporated businesses. Verrilli told the court that the customers of a kosher or halal meat-processing company—not the company itself—would have cause to sue in such a situation. …

Kangaroo meat ‘halal,’ Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate says Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) has issued a fatwa stating that kangaroo meat and grasshoppers are “halal” food, but Islam bans eating “badgers, martens, weasels, beavers and sea otters.” “Islamic scholars agree that ‘halal’ animals that are not mentioned in the Quran and in the hadith [the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad] are those that don’t eat feces and carcasses, and which are therefore neither wild nor coarse,” the Diyanet’s High Committee of Religious Affairs said in response to a citizen’s question. As such, the fatwa continues, kangaroo is classified in the...

Parents have condemned a school's decision to ban all pork products from the menu and replace other meats with halal versions. Pupils aged between three and 11 at Brinsworth Manor Infant and Junior Schools in Rotherham - which Ofsted identifies as having only a small number of pupils from minority ethnic groups - will no longer be able to enjoy sausages, bacon or ham. Parents at both schools, which share a site, were told of the decision in a letter from Rotherham Council’s principal catering officer Ron Parry, who wrote that there had been ‘minor adjustments’ to the lunch menu....

Denmark has a not-so-kosher beef with Jewish tradition. In February, Denmark's Agriculture and Food Minister Dan Jorgensen approved a new regulation which stipulates that the slaughter of animals cannot be undertaken without first stunning them. Since for meat to be kosher many authorities agree that the animal must be conscious, the move essentially blocks kosher as well as halal slaughter in the Scandinavian country. "This is a serious blow to the Jewish faith and the Jews in Denmark," said Israel's Chief Rabbi, David Lau. In other European Union countries, exemptions for religious reasons have been given for kosher slaughter. However,...

Should Americans pay the extra cost of providing Muslim prison inmates with special meals prepared according to Islamic law? The federal government does it and so do a few states, but not Florida and a U.S.-based terrorist front group is demanding a change. It’s one of those only-in-America stories that tarnish the country’s image, not to mention diminish its dignity. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which pretends to be a Muslim civil rights group, is ordering Florida prison officials to offer Muslim inmates halal meals, which would cost taxpayers in the Sunshine State a lot more than the regular...

Kosher – requires the animal be slaughtered quickly and humanely, strictly forbidding cruel slow methods like strangulation. Halal – requires the animal be bled out in agony while sick people who get off watching that kind of thing have a “festival.” Kosher – requires the blood be drained cleanly from the *carcass* of the humanely killed animal, removing toxins released from cells into the bloodstream at the moment of death from the meat. Halal –leaves the meat *filled* with toxins released at the moment of death because the blood is removed while the animal is dying and therefore is not...

If you're planning on serving your family a fresh turkey this Thanksgiving, you may be hard pressed to find one available at your local supermarket. Less than two weeks before the year's greatest food holiday, Butterball, the nation's largest producer of turkeys, is warning of a shortage of birds. Butterball announced that it will be shipping out half as many large, fresh never-frozen turkeys to retailers this year. The company says many of its birds had trouble gaining weight during the production process. And though the cause of the problem remains a mystery, food distributors say their orders for turkeys...

**SNIP** Also Yasir Qadhi was the teacher of the Underwear Bomber. And a member of the Muslim Students Association. These days he teaches in the Religious Studies Department of Rhodes College, in Memphis, Tennessee. **SNIP** The life and property of a (non-muslim) becomes “halal” (officially allowed by Sharia) while in a state of Jihad… And I quoted the Hadith before, “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say (declaration of Islamic faith). When they say (conversion to Islam) their property becomes protected from them. Which means if they don’t… their life and property are Halal (free for...

Palestinians Injured While Torturing Cattle At least 125 Palestinians in Gaza were wounded while torturing and slaughtering cattle in the streets as part of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Adha, Palestinian media reported. Gaza has five official slaughterhouses, but wait times were hours long, so a great many Gazans decided to do their own public butchering for the holiday, which is typically accompanied by much feasting. But, as videos and pictures posted to the Internet revealed, many of the Palestinians did not contend themselves to simply slaughtering the animals, but first engaged in what can only be described as...

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 9/9/13) -- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today welcomed the Crestwood School District implementing halal meals to accommodate its Muslim students. The Crestwood School District, which compromises schools in the City of Dearborn Heights, has a significant and growing Muslim student population. CAIR-MI worked with the district and concerned parents for the implementation of halal meals, which includes halal meats. "We welcome the implementation of halal meals at all Crestwood schools," said CAIR-MI Safe Spaces Coordinator Warda Kalim. "We hope that other school districts in Southeast Michigan provide similar accommodations to serve our...

Understanding Halal Certification SchemesPlease note this is not about halal food. Q Society's spokesman Andrew Horwood points out: "Halal food itself is not of concern. Nearly all our food is naturally permissible to Muslims and observant Muslims can make food of unknown origin halal by proclaiming 'bismillah' over the food before eating.* What is of concern are the recently invented certification schemes, designed to permeate the supply chain from feeding trough to super market shelves and restaurant kitchens; including many non-food goods and services. According to meat industry groups and research, two thirds of chicken and lamb meat and over...