Senate inquiry into Halal certification.

[daydream**believer]

Brilliant.

Whether people support halal certification or not, there are lots of people with lots of concerns so its time to investigate it all.

http://www.3aw.com.au/news/bernardis-inquiry-into-food-certification-schemes-20150514-gh1c32.html

Here are the reasons i am against halal certification and the questions i want answered.
1. Why are the fees paid by businesses for halal certification kept secret? Why do the businesss have to sign non disclosure agreements?

2. Why are there 20+ privately run halal certification companies in Australia, all charging whatever amounts they want, when Indonesia only has 1 Government run halal certifier? If foods need to be halal certified, then let the Government run it and let the money go back into the whole Australian community.

3. For meat to be halal, the animal needs to be slaughtered a certain way, throat slit while animal is conscious by a Muslim. Yes, there are some abattoirs that use a reverse stun but, from what i have researched, there are at least 15 abattoirs in Australia that slaughter animals using no stun. It is barbaric. This video is very graphic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAQJ-FZo1cA

4. Australia is a predominantly Christian country, so why are we being forced to eat meat that has been prayed over to a "god" that we dont even recognise?

5. If halal certification is supposed to help Muslims recognise what they can and cant eat, then why do so many companies that pay for the certification stamp choose not to display it on their products?

6. Why are abattoirs paying a certification fee and then packing all the meat in one truck and delivering it to butchers and supermarkets who then put it all in the one fridge and display it all in the one display fridge. Once pork products are shelved, stored or transported with other meats, the other meats immediately become non halal anyway. So Aussie Muslims cant eat it anyway.

7. We are told halal certification monies goes towards to building of more mosques and Islamic schools. We know that there are quite a few mosques where the hatred of Australia is preached. As for Islamic schools, the same schools where a principal has said that girls are forbidden to run in races because it will cause them to lose their virginity. Do we need schools like that here?

8. In Canada halal certification money was found to be used to fund organisations linked to extremist organisations. I have no doubt that would be happening here as well.

9. Halal is a part of sharia law and we DO NOT want any part of Sharia law in Australia.

So, what would i like to see? Id like halal certification to be a Government run organisation. Id like every business who pays for halal certification to have to display the stamp on their products. I want all Australian abattoirs to stun before killing. That would be a nice start

[raptor_rebooted]

Lucky for us halal animals ARE stunned in this country.

not all of them.

The Federal Government is reviewing ritual slaughter standards but is not pre-empting the findings.

Halil Haliloff owns a farm north of Adelaide which is one of nine abattoirs in South Australia that is allowed to kill without stunning.

The Turkish-born Muslim has been running the small abattoir for sheep and goats for about seven years and has around 50 animals at any given time.

He says most of his customers would not buy the meat if it had been stunned.

“I kill them for the religion, if not do for the religion then my customer [would] run away,” he said.

He says many of his customers actually watch him slaughter the animals to ensure it is halal.

“[They] want to buy fresh meat, because shops keep it in a cool room. [Here it is] from ice, it’s halal.”

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils is the accreditation body for halal food.

It accepts the stunning of animals but president Ikebal Patel says exemptions are needed to accommodate for religious freedoms.

i disagree.

http://muslimvillage.com/2011/06/20/11004/rspca-wants-to-ban-non-stunned-halal-kosher-slaughter/

Emine is worried about what a ban might do to her family’s business.

“It’s like spitting in our face and saying it’s all wrong. I will fight for it, and I’m sure others out there will actually help about not banning this procedure,” she said.

She says as Islam continues to grow more and more people will want their meat killed according to their beliefs.

[opmania]

If you had a pet and you put it down in this manner

You would probably go to jail for 2 years

[daydream**believer]

"Even many Muslims object to what Halal Certification has become, it was once about the religion, now it's far more about the business of turning a profit."

You got that right.

http://www.jumuamosquect.com/khutbas/khutba/archive/2012/january/27/article/khutba-on-halal-certific...

[the_great_she_elephant]

What is your opinion on live export?

[daydream**believer]

I really dont understand why people are against the inquiry?

What is actually wrong with the points ive put in the OP?

Most on here seem to only bother to argue about stun or no stun, quick death or slow death.......what about the other points in the OP?

[the_great_she_elephant]

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@daydream**believer wrote:

I really dont understand why people are against the inquiry?

What is actually wrong with the points ive put in the OP?

Most on here seem to only bother to argue about stun or no stun, quick death or slow death.......what about the other points in the OP?

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Well, I'll be happy if the inquiry includes free range meat and eggs, because, from anecdotal evidence, I suspect the conditions  laid down for certification and the policing of those conditions is pretty lax.

[azureline**]

I am happy about the inquiry.

[azureline**]

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@daydream**believer wrote:

"Even many Muslims object to what Halal Certification has become, it was once about the religion, now it's far more about the business of turning a profit."

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All businesses are about turning a profit, even the community ones, like Lifeline, St Vinnies, Salvos, etc.

Why else would they have a business?

[azureline**]

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@wayward216 wrote:

besides you being a nutcase that can't prove any of your claims?

My issues - repeated again just for you,

there are thousands of animals slaughtered in Australia each year, under BOTH halal AND Kosher methods, that do not use any stunning whatsover. There is a great deal of evidence this causes pain to these animals. There is NO evidence that these animals all die instantly as you have claimed. We aren't talking a few, we are talking thousands.

There is also a push by Muslim certifiers to expand on the number of animals slaughtered without stunning.

My other issue, just like so many other Atheists, is the way Certification funds Islam. Happy to support a Muslim's right to consume Halal food, however I'm not happy with all these charities come certifiers that raise revenue in the tens of millions each year while avoiding millions in tax. Even many Muslims object to what Halal Certification has become, it was once about the religion, now it's far more about the business of turning a profit.

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The service fees paid to Halal Australia for halal certification and accreditation are used to maintain the normal costs of running a registered business in Australia.

These include overhead costs such as utilities, rent, inventory and supplies, and employee salaries, as well as income taxes paid to the Australian government.

Inspection fees also include auditing services, which are undertaken to maintain quality control of the premises and products and which cover standard expenses such as service, transportation and travel time.

[icyfroth]

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@azureline** wrote:

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@daydream**believer wrote:

"Even many Muslims object to what Halal Certification has become, it was once about the religion, now it's far more about the business of turning a profit."

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All businesses are about turning a profit, even the community ones, like Lifeline, St Vinnies, Salvos, etc.

Why else would they have a business?

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Oh right.  So why aren't Halal funds being used to support muslim populations in Australia?

Oh oops forgot. That's the Aussie taxpayer's responsibility.