For Immediate Release:
June 20, 2000
Contact:
Poorva Joshipura 98201 22602
Washington D.C. –– Following Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee’s assurance to enforce India’s anti-cruelty laws in the practices of cattle transport and slaughter, PETA emerged from a conference with animal protection representatives from Europe and North America over the weekend to declare a new good-faith moratorium on protests against Indian embassies for 60 days. During this "wait and see" period, PETA’s campaign will shift its focus to countries importing unclean and cruelly produced meat from India.
A PETA delegation, including PETA’s President Ingrid Newkirk, began meeting in Washington last week with diplomatic envoys from countries that buy "halal" meat from India. Indian cattle meat exports total 175,035,277 kg each year for a total value of 7,294,600,981 rupees (385,077,609 lbs/$163,997,219).
Muslims expect their meat to be "halal," meaning produced and slaughtered humanely and in the ritual Islamic manner. However, much of the meat coming from India can in no way be considered halal, due not only to clumsy slaughter with dull knives, as opposed to a quick slaughter with sharpened knives, but also because of the cruelties leading up to the slaughter of the cattle. PETA member Hanif Akhtar, a Muslim who grew up in India, expressed his concerns, saying, "Islam has many hadith promoting the humane treatment of animals. This treatment of cattle in India is against Islam and is not in any way halal."
This sentiment is echoed in the words of the late B.A. Hafiz al-Masri, Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque in the United Kingdom, "If animals have been subjected to cruelties in their breeding, transport, slaughter, or in their general welfare, meat from them is considered impure and unlawful to eat (haram). Even if these animals have been slaughtered in the strictest manner, if cruelties were inflicted upon them otherwise, their flesh is still forbidden (haram) food."
PETA is providing the governments with video footage of the abuse of Indian cattle sold for meat and leather, including the constant breaking of their tails, having chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes, massive overcrowding on truck transports, and death marches of several days length with no food or water.
PETA’s President Ingrid Newkirk said, "We believe conscientious Muslims will reject Indian meat falsely labeled "halal" when it is really "haram" (forbidden).
