Calls for boycott of Danish goods after halal ban

Islamic leaders have called on Middle East governments to stop importing Danish meat as the country is attempting to play down growing criticism by Muslims over a proposed ban on halal meat and imports.

Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Dan Jorgensen said in a statement on Sunday that “such (halal) slaughter is still legal in Denmark”.

The Danish Embassy in Riyadh also tried to diffuse the situation, telling Arab News “there is no ban on Islamic slaughter in Denmark and animal sacrifice according to Islamic principles is still legal in Denmark”.

“Unfortunately, the Danish government executive order has been portrayed and misinterpreted by the media, as if it was directed against the halal form of slaughter,” said Fikre El-Gourfti, deputy chief of the Danish mission.

He said the current procedure of stunning an animal before slaughtering it “is in accordance with the resolution of the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL).”

European regulations require animals to be stunned before slaughter except on religious grounds. Denmark has removed this exemption.

Fouad Tawfik, an Islamic scholar, told Arab News the halal way of slaughtering animals had been “scientifically proved to be better for animals as well as humans than killing them by electric shock”.

He refuted the embassy’s statement, saying stunning of animals is not Islamic and MWL would not approve of such a religious edict.

He advised Muslims to move to eat chicken and fish until they get halal meat.

“Muslim countries must stop importing meat from Denmark as long as it prohibits Islamic way of slaughtering animals,” he said. “It’s the right of Danish Muslims to get halal food.”

Zaid Khan, a blogger, urged Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to import halal meat from Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia. “The Danish decision should make us think in a proactive manner,” he was quoted as saying.

Islam is the largest minority religion in Denmark. According to the US Department of State, approximately 3.7 percent of the population in Denmark is Muslim.