Muslim and Jewish Leaders Unite Against Brussels’ Proposed Ritual Slaughter Ban

The initial hearings allowed to hear the representatives of the different religious communities, including the representatives of the Central Israelite Consistory of Belgium, the Coordination Committee of Jewish Organizations of Belgium (CCOJB) and the Executive of Muslims of Belgium (EMB) as well as the Anderlecht slaughterhouse and the Halal Butchers Federation, reports Belga.

These representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities felt that they are in the crosshairs for their religious beliefs insofar as other forms of killing for food purposes are not targeted by the same concerns in Belgium.

According to the Chief Rabbi of Brussels, Albert Guigui, a possible ban on slaughter without stunning will be considered an "unjustified and disproportionate" decision. The Executive of Muslims of Belgium agrees, arguing that the proposals on the table are only interested in the last moments of the animal’s life and not in its well-being throughout its life.