Gus Singh, a concerned UK resident, has launched an important campaign to support Halal Awareness.

According to Singh, Halal is a religious-cultural ritual which prescribes a specific way of slaughtering animals, which could be considered by many as very cruel and inhumane.  "It is where the animal’s throat is cut, whilst scriptures from the Koran are read over it – The animal is then left to bleed-to-death, as a way of cleansing its body and soul."

"Many people are not aware of what Halal is or the process involved in producing it.  There are also many people (namely Sikhs) who can not eat Halal due to religious reasons."

"Halal has now become widely available, but in most cases it is not advertised! Takeaways and restaurants serve Halal without informing the public (it is possible, some people would simply not eat Halal if they knew how the meat was slaughtered)."

"There should be a Halal Awareness campaign to educate the public of what Halal is and how it is prepared, and then clearly marked in all food outlets so that people can make an informed choice! This is as much for Muslins as for non-Muslims."

Singh advocates that the Food Regulatory Authorities and Animal Welfare should investigate the process and its legality in this country (UK). "After all, this is not an Islamic country."

A recent BBC article on the issue at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2977086.stm reports:

"The method of animal slaughter used by Jews and Muslims should be banned immediately, according to an independent advisory group. The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), which advises the government on how to avoid cruelty to livestock, says the way Kosher and Halal meat is produced causes severe suffering to animals. Both the Jewish and Muslim religions demand that slaughter is carried out with a single cut to the throat, rather than the more widespread method of stunning with a bolt into the head before slaughter."

While Kosher and Halal butchers deny their method of killing animals is cruel and have expressed anger over the recommendation, others disagree.

For Singh, and others who support him, Halal should be clearly advertised in all food outlets so that people can make an informed choice.

To support the campaign and sign the petition click here.

Source: John Pope, for GoPetition