Belgian Muslims Navigate Eid al-Adha Amid Ritual Slaughter Restrictions

For a few years now in Belgium, the ritual slaughter of sheep as practiced by Muslims has been the subject of heated debates. This situation, according to a statement from the Executive of Muslims of Belgium, has led to the ban by the authorities on any slaughter without stunning in temporary and approved slaughterhouses in the Flemish and Walloon regions in 2019.

Only accepted in the Brussels-Capital Region, ritual slaughter without stunning is thus called into question by the evolution of the country’s laws. If it is possible to proceed with the sacrifice without stunning in the Brussels-Capital Region, individuals are obliged to use the services of professionals (butchers) who are the only ones to benefit from the services of the approved slaughterhouse located in Anderlecht.

Therefore, considering that the decision to no longer allow slaughter without stunning was a violation of freedom of worship, the Executive of Muslims of Belgium, which has always practiced and defended this practice, has, with the Coordination Council of Islamic Institutions of Belgium (CIB), taken legal action against these new decrees in the Walloon and Flemish regions.

These organizations defending the achievements of the Muslim community have finally won their case before the Court of First Instance of Brussels, but have run into the Flemish Minister responsible for Animal Welfare who, for his part, refers to a European regulation. In this legal battle, the Constitutional Court finally made its position known, considering that "the ban on ritual slaughter may be contrary to the European regulation which stipulates that animals do not have to be stunned beforehand if it is a ritual slaughter taking place in an approved slaughterhouse," recalls the statement from the Executive.

Worrying for the Muslim community, a communication from the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA) has been circulating since the beginning of this July, reminding the population that any immolation of the sheep must be done with prior stunning, in compliance with the Flemish and Walloon decrees relating to the Animal Welfare Code. Faced with this, the CIB is trying to multiply the steps with the competent authorities, to, say its leaders, "allow the Muslim community to live its religion in the best conditions, in compliance with the law and convictions."