Hawzah News Agency - Muslim leaders in France have criticized a recent decision to ban the slaughter of poultry animals in line with Islamic principles ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

A joint statement issued by Paris Mosque director Chemseddine Hafez, Lyon Mosque director Kamel Kaptane and Evry Mosque director Khalil Maroun, says that the French Agriculture and Food Ministry’s circular sends a negative message to the large Muslim community in the country.

Under the new rule, the Islamic slaughter of poultry animals will be banned in France from July 2021.

The three administrators conveyed their concerns to the relevant ministry but did not receive any concrete results, the joint statement said.

“These precautions are a serious obstacle preventing people from freely practicing their religion,” the statement read, adding that they are planning to take necessary legal action to restore the “fundamental right.”

The Muslim leaders have also discussed the matter with leaders of the Jewish community in France.

Campaign against halal meat in Europe

France and other European countries, like Belgium, have taken similar steps against halal meat, while local authorities forced a halal supermarket in a Paris suburb to sell alcohol and pork products.

Some animal rights activists in Europe argue that the Islamic halal and Jewish kosher rules for ritual slaughter are “less human” than standard European practice because they ban the practice of stunning animals before they are killed.

However, there are disagreements over which form of slaughter causes the animal more pain, with some arguing that a stun gun can be more painful than an expertly applied cut to the animal’s neck.

Muslims holy book Quran teaches gentle treatment of animals.

Like kosher slaughter, the halal rite requires the butcher to kill the animal by swiftly slitting its throat.

Stunning it first to lessen its pain, as recommended in a European Union directive, is not allowed in Muslim practice.