The Fatwa of Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi on Slaughter & Transport of Animals

[Guest guest]

The intention might be noble, but no civilised society should condone the

use of any fatwa, no matter what the motive. In my view, fatwas are

monstrous and insane.

 

On 12/12/08, Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl wrote:

>

> From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 2008:

>

> The Fatwa of Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi on Slaughter & Transport of

> Animals

> Egyptian Society of Animal Friends (30 Korshed St. /Rd. 293, New

> Maadi, Egypt; <asherbiny <asherbiny%40infinity.com.eg>>;

> <www.animalfriends.info>, 2008.

>

> ANIMAL PEOPLE noted in a June 2008 cover article on the

> resumption of live animal exports from Australia to Egypt that even

> if Egypt fails to enforce secular law governing animal transport and

> slaughter, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the Chief Imam and Shaikh of

> al-Azhar, Egypt, had issued a fatwa, or religious opinion, meant

> to reinforce the observance of the intent of the hallal slaughter

> laws, meant to minimize animal suffering, that are central to

> Islamic practice.

> The Egyptian Society of Animal Friends has now published the

> fatwa as a handbook, also including the " Five Freedoms " and

> Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare.

> The " Five Freedoms, " first enumerated in 1967 by a British

> government-appointed panel, require that all captive animals be

> guaranteed freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition; freedom

> from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to

> express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. The

> Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, evolving as a proposed item

> of international legislation for more than 80 years, in present form

> surrounds the " Five Freedoms " with points of cultural context.

> The Tantawi fatwa points out that the tenets embodied in the

> " Five Freedoms " and Universal Declaration are already requirements of

> Islam, articulated by Mohammed.

> ESAF published the handbook on the eve of a two-day

> conference in Cairo on 'The Islamic Principles on Animal Transport

> and Slaughter, " held just ahead of the annual conference of the

> World Organization for Animal Health. The latter organization,

> created by the United Nations, is better known by the French

> abbreviation OIE.

> The ESAF conference and publication ceremonies included

> participation by three senior Islamic scholars from Al-Ahzar

> University, widely seen as the world's leading institution of

> Islamic learning; Nasser Farid Wasef, former mufti (chief scholar)

> for Egypt; the Jordanian minister of religious affairs, and

> Princess Alia Al Hussein of Jordan.

> The OIE conference also emphasized the need to improve animal

> welfare in animal husbandry, transport, and slaughter, and asked

> the international donor community to help developing nations

> worldwide to achieve high animal welfare standards.

> As the delegates to the ESAF and OIE conferences crossed

> paths in Cairo, the Reuters news syndicate on October 21, 2008

> distributed " Under-ground cattle trade thrives in Gaza tunnels, " by

> Palestinian correspondent Nidal al-Mughrabi.

> " When the calves were hauled out of the tunnel from

> Egypt, " the article from Rafah, Gaza began, " they could hardly

> stand. After a terrifying 1,000-metre underground trip into the

> Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, what the young cattle wanted most was

> a long drink of cool water. Underground livestock smuggling has

> increased dramatically ahead of Eid Al-Adha, the day of sacrifice

> [December 10, 2008] when Muslims slaughter animals and feed the

> poor to seek God's forgiveness. "

> Nidal al-Mughrabi interviewed tunnel operator Abu Luqaib,

> 23, " as his crew pulled a bawling calf up the deep shaft by a simple

> rope around its middle. The calves cost $350 each plus $250 for the

> transport, a total of $600 per head, " Nidal al-Mughrabi learned.

> The traffic is dangerous for humans as well as animals.

> Just in 2008, more than 45 people have reportedly been killed in

> cave-ins during smuggling operations.

> But stressful as the tunnel journey is for calves headed

> toward sacrifice, it is short, and the calves are watered at the

> end of it. They may be among the best treated of all the animals

> who are transported each year for Eid Al-Adha sacrifice: about

> 700,000 killed at the conclusion of the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca,

> plus two to three million who will be killed either by or on behalf

> of the 1.3 billion Muslims who remain at home.

> The ESAF handbook may help those animals, and many

> more--especially if Muslim consumers join animal advocates in

> pressuring everyone involved in livestock transport and slaughter to

> observe the hallal principles, if animals are to be transported and

> slaughtered at all. --Merritt Clifton

>

> --

> Merritt Clifton

> Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

> P.O. Box 960

> Clinton, WA 98236

>

> Telephone: 360-579-2505

> Fax: 360-579-2575

> E-mail: anmlpepl <anmlpepl%40whidbey.com>

> Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

>

> [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

> original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

> founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

> decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

> We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

> for free sample, send address.]

[Guest guest]

>The intention might be noble, but no civilised society should

>condone the use of any fatwa, no matter what the motive. In my view,

>fatwas are

>monstrous and insane.

 

A fatwa is simply an expert opinion, issued by a recognized

expert in Islamic religious law, no different in nature from a papal

bull except that the custom of issuing fatwas admits & tolerates the

possibility of informed dissent & debate -- whereas, papal bulls

have at times in the past been enforced by the Inquisition.

 

Similar opinion-giving by religious scholars is practiced in

Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

 

It is also practiced by every garage mechanic who gives

written estimates. The gist of it is that someone who knows how the

vehicle works says, " This is what's wrong and this is what we have

to do in order to fix it. "

 

Whether you accept the advice & the possible consequences,

in the case of either a written estimate or a fatwa, is totally up

to you.

 

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]

[Guest guest]

Hello ,

 

Its quite evident that you DO NOT quite understand the meaning of the word -

'fatwa'. Words such as 'Monstrous' and 'insane' could be better utilized

elsewhere. Just made a mention of this because I see a deep rooted hatred to

some religions in your emails and comments.

 

Lets direct our emotions into more appropriate areas. At least make sure you get

the facts right!

 

Thanks, Pablo.