Largest Territory in Belgium Bans Kosher and Halal Animal Slaughter
It appears that Belgium hasn’t completely caved to cultural relativism.
Belgium's Wallooon region has voted to ban kosher and halal meats by outlawing the slaughter of unstunned animals.
The environment committee of southern Belgium's Walloon Parliament voted unanimously for the ban, which will take effect on 1 September, 2019.
The article then explains why many take issue with kosher and halal animal slaughter:
Both Jewish kosher and Islamic halal rituals require the butcher to swiftly slaughter the animal by slitting its throat and draining its blood, a process condemned by animal rights campaigners, who argue it is more humane to stun animals before killing them.
As one would expect, this ban wasn’t particularly well received by the Jewish community.
Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, strongly decried the legislation:
This decision, in the heart of Western Europe and the centre of the European Union, sends a terrible message to Jewish communities throughout our continent that Jews are unwanted.
It attacks the very core of our culture and religious practice and our status as equal citizens with equal rights in a democratic society. It gives succour to anti-Semites and to those intolerant of other communities and faiths.
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Kantor invoked the specter of Nazism to reinforce his point:
We call on legislators to step back from the brink of the greatest assault on Jewish religious rights in Belgium since the Nazi occupation of the country in World War II."
How predictable.
As the Independent article notes, similar legislation is already in place in Denmark, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
This situation is a perfect example of the flawed nature of multiculturalism. Given that each ethnic group has its own values, customs, and rituals, it seems silly to expect all to be equally content living under the same set of laws.
However, modern society treats multiculturalism as an inherent good. Indeed, the average liberal’s support thereof resembles a religious conviction more than anything else. As such, all of the research from various social sciences on the destructive nature of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity is swept under the rug.
It is a sad state of affairs, to be sure, but the cult of diversity and equality is failing so miserably that eventually only its most fanatical adherents will be willing to defend it.
