#Halal challenge: racism, the pet protection garment

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#Halal challenge: racism, the pet protection garment

In social networks users protest with provocative Videos against Halal meat in supermarkets. You call it civil disobedience, critics speak of hypocrisy and Islamophobia.

Also, the Twitter account “IAktion” promotes the Hallalchallenge. So far, its operators were not animal rights activists active

“The nationwide scale #Halal challenge is opened”, – stated in the for action established Facebook page. The so-called Challenge, so challenge, and follows the logic
Ice Bucket Challenge, an Internet trend that moved in the summer of 2014, thousands of people to pour a bucket of ice cold water over the head. At the time, it was for a good cause: The Initiative wanted to make it to the nerve disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis attention.

Attention will also challenge the Halal generate, however, not for an incurable disease, but allegedly for animals slaughtered in accordance with Islamic rules. How the Protest should look like, is explained on the Facebook page: “Put the pig in the #Halal counter and movies. Then the Video post in Your Facebook timeline, Instagram, or YouTube, or anywhere else, and nominate the next friend!”

Rules for the consumption of meat

Pig meat is for believers in Islam taboo. And generally speaking, meat is considered “halal”, i.e. intended for human consumption to be released, if it is slaughtered according to certain rules. The animals must bleed at the time of slaughter, often without anesthesia. In Germany, the so-called ritual slaughter is prohibited – each animal must be stunned before it is slaughtered. It is in the context of the freedom of religion, however, exemptions for Jews and Muslims.

However, much suggests that it is about animal welfare, but to the deliberate provocation of Muslims. So many supporters of the action are not known for their past as an animal rights activist, but rather for their activities in the right scene. The Facebook page “Blog Dittmer,” supported the action after just a few minutes. For page Melanie Dittmer writes, among other things. She is the initiator of the anti-Islamic Bogida movement in Bonn, and is known for its racist and anti-Semitic Statements. Dominik Roeseler, Pegida speaker and co-founder of the group “Hooligans against Salafists” (HoGeSa), advertised on its Facebook page, particularly clamoring for action.

The clash of cultures in the supermarket

Meanwhile, the first users have uploaded their Videos. On Twitter, it made the action even temporarily, under the currently most frequently tweeted terms – with the Hashtag user is used, the try to expose the action as a racist. The Facebook page now has almost 4200 Fans. Even if it is still a minority of the German network of the world, reflects the action but the anger of some citizens, which is since Recently also on supermarket chains, the Halal meat.

Usually only available in Turkish supermarkets: products with “Halal”label

This anger exploded in the past few months, always in the Form of outrage on the Facebook pages of Rewe, Edeka and co., The corporations reacted all defensive. Edeka answered, for example, on some user comments that only “a few individual merchants” resulted in meat products that are produced according to the religious rules of Islam. Moreover, none of the products from unbetäubten battle come.

Outrage and right-wing agitation

In Austria, the Spar supermarkets capitulated completely in front of your virtual critics. After a Vienna branch on a trial basis Halal had added meat to the range, before throwing the user to the group, to support cruelty to animals. Often swung in the comments, Islam is the enemy ideology. The supermarket chain conclusions: “Spar is ended due to the (unfounded!) Accusations and heated Facebook discussion on the Wiener-Selling of Halal meat,” wrote the group on its Facebook page. We have always held to Austrian guidelines, which provided the stunning of animals, it said. Then it rained criticism from the opposite side, the accused-saving to have the pressure of foreign enemies yielded.

Because while, in the meantime, hardly a supermarket without an extensive range of vegan, lactose – and gluten-free products, there are in most of the stores products, which have been halal prepared. The business of religiously permitted food would be worth it economically likely: In Germany, about four million Muslims, the issue up to five billion euros a year of food life.

The Good, Allowed

The name “halal” also includes more than the rules for the slaughter of animals. Hamza Wördemann by the Central Council of Muslims, said recently in the süddeutsche Zeitung: “Whoever eats halal, it should actually already know just once the week, eat meat, and should also be clear about the conditions under which the food was produced.” Because in an ethical-religious interpretation of halal has a significantly more extensive importance than the well-known. As a counter-concept to “haram” (forbidden) to be halal, the Good, the Allowed. And well that means no farming, fair wages, healthy animals, respect for the creation.

Reading the comments posted under the Hashtag Halal challenge to come up with many doubts as to whether these Ideals are also the initiators of the new Twitter trends of importance.