4thought.tv

This makes me feel angry. I learned something from it.

It certainly doesn't bother me.

Silly topic to be bringing across i think.

If we are living in a christian country all people who live here should be required to follow our customs, like when we have to go to some arabic countries and we are not allowed to drink alcohol or access facebook.

Halal meat should be labelled. The animals are not always stunned properly when their throats are slit. I would avoid paying for meat killed in this fashion.

woahh....where did that come?? Islam a political organisation? 97% of meat is halal? Very questionable opinions presented as fact mate.

This makes me feel angry and bullied. It reinforced what I already believed.

This makes me feel angry. It reinforced what I already believed.

there is nothing wrong with eating your own cultural meat. But for those who dont subscribe to it should definitely have the choice.

What is the purpose of such a program if not to stimulate disharmony between communities?

This makes me feel glad. It reinforced what I already believed.

A minority religion/belief should not be forced, without the opportunity of choice on a majority.

It reinforced what I already believed.

I understand that the way halal meat is slaughtered is not considered to be humane in the UK. We have decided that it is less traumatic to kill animals a different way. Why is it that halal slaughter is allowed, let alone widespread? It should definitely be labelled so that people can avoid it if they wish to.

Ritual slaughter should not be allowed in the UK at all. If it isn't going to be banned though, then at least we should have clear labelling, so that people who wish to avoid buying it, for whatever reason, eg on religious or ethical grounds, can easily do so.

i am so upset to think of the way so many animals are meeting their end in this, what used to be a nation of animal lovers. where are the RSPCA on this topic...their silence is deafening. what can we do to show we do not approve of this. it is totally inhumane. we are supposed to be a first world country. what has happened????

It reinforced what I already believed.

there are a lot of issues with this type of meat. apart from the religious aspect of the meat, the way the meat is prepared is just wrong...

This makes me feel angry. It reinforced what I already believed.

halal slaughtering of animals is ancient and barbaric and should be banned in modern day society,

All animals should be slaughted according to animal welfare laws. No exceptions!

This makes me feel annoyed and afraid.

As a christian born and bred of generations in England why do I have to eat Halal meat? Do I have a choice if food is not labelled? Is job descrimination not involved here if only a moslem can oversea the slaughter of the animal?

This makes me feel sad.

I would not wish to eat halal meat, although good meat, because, as a Christian I would not agree with a Muslim prayer being prayed over meat I was going to eat. I would not find a Jewish prayer disagreeable in the least as this would come from the Old Testament which I believe in. I would feel it would be totally anti-Semitic to ban kosher and not halal meat. Halal meat can be available for Muslims to buy but I am very happy to eat kosher meat.

This makes me feel annoyed. I learned something from it.

I believe product information should be displayed to allow me to choose whether I want to buy halal meat or not- and I absolutely do not wish to!

please can it be made law that religous food be clearly marked.

It reinforced what I already believed.

I hate the idea that meat I buy in my supermarket might be Halal without being labelled as such. I don't agree with the rituals so why should I be subject to them? I live in Leicestershire and am constantly annoyed with the number of mainstream restaurants that have switched over to Halal only, including fast food places like KFC. I've stopped eating at Halal places and avoid Halal meat in supermarkets, but how am I supposed to do this if it isn't being correctly labelled? If it is a religious right to be provided with Halal meat, surely it is my religious/moral right to be provided with non-Halal meat.

without doubt halal food should be labelled,also it should stop being imposed on non muslim schoolchildren.
why should the wishes of the minority be imposed on the majority.
it is just another step in the attempt to islamify the uk,europe even.

This makes me feel angry.

of course it is cruel especially as the poor animal is restrained whilst having its throat cut. A slow restrained and terrible death.

I am amazed that halal meat need not be labelled. How can people who abhor ritual slaughter be sure they are not buying such meat? I have heard that all New Zealand lamb that is exported to us in the UK is ritually slaughtered, and would very much like to konw if this is true.

Of course it should be banned. We are in the 21st century!
Religion has much to answer for. "Ritual" slaughter is clearly inhumane and the practice, originating thousands of years ago, is utterly outdated. It is time all religions dumped outdated nonsense like this, which is unnecessary cruelty to animals.

I am thoroughly disgusted that the public are not told that most of the meat sold in our large supermarkets is in fact halal meat but is never labelled as such. I find this unacceptable. Surely the Food Standards Agency should be monitoring this and making the supermarkets clearly label their meat.

I think I am going to eat more pork - at least I will than know that I my money is not going towards reinforcing Muslem ideology.

This makes me feel disgusted.

I am absolutely disgusted to learn that we are being sold halal meat without being informed, am I wrong to believe that this is a christian country or are our fundamental values being dismissed, do british christian people not count for anything in this country anymore, it seems not!

This makes me feel i am glad that mark green has raised this issue. halal meat should be labelled clearly and just like kosher foods. we are entitled to know what we are eating. .

This makes me feel angry. It reinforced what I already believed.

If we have to sell Halal meat, and I really wish we didn't, don't think we should, it should be clearly labelled so non muslim and animal lovers know how the meat has been slaughtered, ie humanely.

Halal meat should most definately be.clearly labeled. Meat has to display where and how it was reared and should also display if it was inhumanely slaughtered. I WOULD NOT buy halal meat knowingly. reare animals humanely its a waste of time for halal meat. It should be baned

This makes me feel happy.

I am happy that this subject has been raised by your program and agree that all meat should be labeled as such. I do not agree that it should be banned out of respect for the Muslim believers and also it take away business from our farmers.

This makes me feel angry.

I do not agree with animals being slaughtered in this way. I do no want to eat meat slaughtered in this way and I definitely want supermarkets to tell me so I can avoid buying it.

This makes me feel angry. It reinforced what I already believed.

This makes me feel glad. It reinforced what I already believed.

I care about animal welfare and am prepared to pay more to support my views. I do not wish to buy halal meat or kosher meat and if animals are slaughtered in a non traditional british way I would like it to be made clear so I can make my own choice. Food labelling is quite exact these days and should cover slaughter methods too.

There is already a halal certification system in place, but it is fatally flawed. Since it implies that halal products should 'never come into contact with pork' this would require all imports and distribution of halal products to be segregated and that this process was effectively policed. Fine if you live in a Muslim country, but not in any other.

Both Kosher and Halal should be banned. It has nothing to do with racism, although many people says it does. It is about animal welfare. No slaughter is nice but in todays modern society surley the welfare of the animal should come first. I have been campaining to get this ritual banned. If no ban comes in force then at least label it so EVERYBODY has the choice to consume it or not. Of course the main reason why it will not be labelled is because 70% of Kosher is not deemed fit so it is sold as mainstream. If this was labelled and people refused to buy it then the sale of Kosher would rocket. So basically Joe Bloggs is paying to enable a small minority to consume it. Halal meat is in every supermarket and eatery including food chains such as Weatherspoons, Toby and Premier. LABEL IT SO WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE EATING. Would you expect a Muslim or Jew to eat meat bleesed by a Christian prayer, i think not!!

Halal food should be labelled but only because some people, myself included, find it cruel. I do no believe it represents Islamification of british society. Different cultures have different traditions. It is no more surprising that halal butchers are Muslim than British bars in Spain are run by expats.

This makes me feel annoyed.

Halal meat sold in our british shops should be clearly marked, and not secretly sold to us as it is in some of the big supermarkets. Morrisons do not sell halal beef , The only halal product they sell is New Zealand lamb.I have no wish to buy halal products

ALL animals should be stunned before slaughter in this country, NO EXCEPTIONS! It should be made clear wherever halal meat is being sold, including restaurants and takeaways, to make people aware they are eating it. Ritual slaughter should be banned in the UK. It is extremely cruel and there is no excuse for it.

This makes me feel annoyed and disgusted. It reinforced what I already believed.

Halal meat should be labelled and not forced up on none muslim people in schools and supermarkets without the knowledge of the consumer. The general public can not make an informed choice to buy or not to buy unless labelling is done.

I was aware halal was more widespread than is commonly believed but this piece did not explain why. It must be due to profit somewhere. I do not want to eat it because I disagree with that form of slaughter and it is my right not to have to. Cutting animal throats was practised here long ago as the easiest way to kill but was surpassed by modern more humane methods, and any group that comes here must be made to comply with humane practises.

This makes me feel angry, annoyed, bullied, disgusted and sad.

This makes me feel afraid, angry and disgusted.

Yet again it seems a minority are being given preferential treatment over the majority. The idea of ritual slaughter sickens me, it's cruel, doesn't matter how it's prettied up it will always be brutal. And then, you discover you have been tricked into eating this food or serving it to your family!!!! Doesn't matter how that's looked at, it's still a lie of omission and that IS against trading standards. If the minority's in this country are to decide what we are to eat and how it us killed then surely MY faith should have some consideration. As a pagan it's against my religious laws to eat food that has been dedicated to a false god, this same law is also applicable to Christians and Sikhs. Most people are sick to the back teeth of this kind of deception, and the laws that are changed in favor of minority groups because politicians are scared of being called racist.

This makes me feel i am disgusted that these cruel and medieval practices are allowed to happen in my country. It reinforced what I already believed.

I am purely concerned with the animal welfare point of view and I am extremely unconcerned with any religious issues. I have read in the past several letters/accounts in my local newspapers from actual slaughtermen who witness these practices and even they were complaining and upset that it appears to take several long minutes for an aminal to become unconscious. Also recent studies by DEFRA involving the slaughter of young cattle and other young animals have apparently concluded that animals do suffer more than by pre-stunning slaughtering methods. I am aware our veterinary bodies are very against these practices as are the RSPCA.

My view is that we are allowing unnessary suffering to happen on a large scale and turning a blind eye.

In a modern society, surely all religious beliefs should work towards the most humane treatment of our animals and the food they provide us with.

I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

As an atheist meat eater I thought this was one of the most pointless 4thought films ever. If the meat is not slaughtered in the correct way - dhabihah - then the meat is haraam. It is forbidden by Islamic law. To a muslim, this concept is a bit more scary than the idea that someone might have cut a chicken's throat with a sharp knife to a non-muslim. Muslims, being normal humans like the rest of us, can't tell how meat was slaughtered just by looking at it and rely on it saying "Halal" before they buy it. Therefore, Halal meat is already labeled as such and farmers mass producing animals to the perform dhabihah instead of putting them through the rather efficient slaughterhouses we have these days is just silly.

This makes me feel angry and disgusted. I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

If the majority of meat eaters are not bothered by how the meat is slaughtered but certain religions are then it only makes sense to allow Halal meat to become more prevalent and should be clearly labelled. People eat in Indian restaurants knowing the meat is Halal. The method of slaughtering animals in a Halal way is more humane than the methods used for slaughtering animals in the West and this has been scientifically proven. Urea, a waste product, is drained in a higher proportion from an animal that has been slaughtered in the Halal way. Why is the discussion only about Islam anyway? How is Kosher meat slaughtered differently? Rarely will anyone be seen discussing this. I fail to see any benefit from this discussion except to incite hatred for the minority. One could argue Mark Green is politically motivated himself! Does nothing for promoting tolerance in a so called civilised society.

This makes me feel angry. I am an animal lover and do not agree with animals being slaughtered in this way. Ritual slaughter should be banned.

It reinforced what I already believed.

The Holy Bible clearly states for Christians not to eat meat sacrificed to idols. As a Christian I prefer to follow God than man and therefore I will not eat Halal. If there are times where you have no control over situations the meat can be dealt with by saying grace and giving thanks to The Lord of Hosts, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
As regards the methods of killing, you only have to look at the way animals are treated in certain countries to know that kindness is not involved. However, I do believe that our own animal abuse needs looking at too - factory farming; artificial insemination; milking cows to death to name a few. Can we all clean up our act and only buy that which we know has been raised and humanely killed to the highest standard. Can we also give thanks to God for the life that the animal has had to give for us. Can we not leave meat on the side of the plate - just don't be greedy in the first place. We all have things to address here.

This makes me very angry and disgusted. Halal and Kocher meat should be labeled to allow for an informed choice. The wide spread use and sale of such ritually killed meat makes it clear that the exemption from stunning is being used to streamline costs rather than provide a small minority with the dietry requirements of their faiths.

Vote with your feet and write to your supermarkets.

This makes me feel disgusted.

I have known for some time that halal meat is sold in our supermarkets, since knowing this I only buy meat from my local butcher where I am assured the meat is not halal but I am annoyed that my choices have been taken away from me.

Pat, North Lincolnshire - I absolutely agree that halal meat should be labelled. I believe in stunning the beasts first and do not understand why halal meat is sold in supermarkets without labels to verify the same. We should have the choice to buy or not buy, to eat or not eat halal meat, it is totally unacceptable that minority groups have this choice and we do not. I personally have been in touch with my MP and DEFRA on this matter and so far have made no headway, my MP has also written to my local supermarket on several occasion to pose the question "do you sell halal meat" to date no reply.It appears to me that the whole issue is shrouded in mystery. DEFRA tell me that this is a "sensitive issue" my reply to that statement is yes, it is because the general public do not know that this is happening in most supermarkets, eating places, schools, hospitals and institutions.The sooner we have clarity from central government the better but do I think this will happen soon - no!!!

This makes me feel angry and confused. It reinforced what I already believed.

Slowly but surely Islam is becoming a part of our country. We are living amongst it to the point where we subconciously take it in and rarely give it a second thought. Our news and media is obsessed and it's starting to effect the important decisions our government needs to make. We need to accept and respect to a certain degree, but we cannot afford to lose our values, beliefs and way of life. This programme highlights yet another aspect of this ideaology penentrating our society.

There is no place for Halal slaughter in the UK. Go watch the film of an Halal slaughter on YouTube and make your own mind up. I have gone vegetarian because I can't get the truth about what I am eating from any of the supermarkets.

Yes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It reinforced what I already believed.

Both halal and kosher should be banned, fullstop. I am vegetarian since a month ago, I don't regret my choice but I hate the fact that my step in changing my diet was forced by the presence everywhere of halal meat and no possibility whatsoever to have a choice! People should be able to choose, and this is not only a problem of eating or not eating halal, it is a problem of MILLIONS OF ANIMALS that are TORTURED every year with this ancient idiotic method. For this reason, although I am now vegetarian, I didn't stop participate actively for this cause! And it is incredible that the majority is forced buying meat blessed to what they consider a false idol. I cannot believe that the sheeple don't consider it a problem!
Labelling is the minimum requirement, at least it would re-stabilise and limit the demand of these kinds of meat now rising because customers don't know they are buying halal! And yes, I believe that this is part of a process of Islamification of Britain, no doubt whatsoever.

Halal is an Arabic word which means lawful or legal, labelling meat as halal is misleading to customers who do not speak Arabic or who are not Muslim, it should be labelled as ˜Muslim' or ˜Islamic' meat to ensure that customers can make an informed choice over what they are buying. Surely this is a breach of the Trades Description Act?

This makes me feel disgusted.

I have stopped eating any meat unless I know for certain that it comes from somewhere where the animals are slaughtered in our humane method, on the farm site.
That laws of humanity have been overturned for the businesses of the few, is an outrage.

As only 3% of the population are Muslim, it is absolutely wrong that halhal ritual slaughter is allowed in a country that is mainly Christian. In fact it is insulting to our religion and our ethical values should be put above religious ones. It is recogognised as being more cruel to the animal.

This makes me feel disgusted.

i am disgusted that the minority seem to be ruling we should be told if meat on sale is halal come on we are even told if a bag of nuts contains nuts

The only TRUE way to avoid the violence and cruelty of the slaughterhouse--however an animal is killed, is to become vegan---or at least vegetarian--- whatever the method of killing is. It is easy today to be vegan, and no problem at all to be vegetarian! If you like the taste of meat(there is no other reason to eat it in our society) there are plenty of fake meats to be obtained. Animal Aid recently carried out undercover investigations in eight slaughter houses and seven were observed to have a number of instances of illegal cruelty. To see undercover videos in a slaughter house go to Animal Aid, Peta,Vegetarian International Voice for Animals(VIVA). Everyone who eats meat has a duty to observe the murder of animals for something we dont need and to REMEMBER IT. That piece of food on your plate came from a being who suffered fear and pain and would have escaped if s/he could have.(this is without the issue of factory farming methods where the vast majority of meat comes from which is also an exceedingly cruel way to treat animals).
Yes, the most humane way should be used and less humane ways of slaughter should be banned, but NO slaughter can be humane, only in degree, and in conventional slaughter a stun is OFTEN not given effectively and the animal is left hanging on the line by one leg, having returned to consciousness and has his/her throat cut. In the case of pigs they can enter the scalding tank still conscious. EVEN LEGALISED CRUELTY IS VIOLENT AND BRUTAL.

It reinforced what I already believed.

Why can't the ritual slaughter include the stunning of the beast before hand? Would that require a change to their beliefs? No. Just an additional step in the process of making meat Halal.

Most religious followers follow a book that has undergone many alterations to the original texts so why can't they be altered again? If a religious text cannot be altered because it is deemed sacred, that implies that it cannot be regarded as sacred if it is altered. Given that all have been altered to some degree since their inception either as a revision/addition or translation, none would appear to be sacred.

Where on earth did Mark get his information? Halal is not used a lot. Most butchery providers wouldn't even consider the expense or rigmarole involved. Opinion of the method is a personal belief and should not be clouded by incorrect "facts".

As a Christian I too think we should have the meat labelled so we have a choice. I think it is barbaric that we allow animals to be killed in such a painful way. I am sure animal rights associations cannot possibly agree with this. I am so disappointed with the supermarkets. When you ask if their meat is halal Tescos, Sainsbury's, co-0p say "we don't know." Or don't they want us to know. Even Kentucky fried chicken admit theirs is halal so I don't buy it any more. This is so unfair as I love their chicken. People coming to live in this country should be happy to follow our rules, surely?

I have read many of these comments and it's fascinating to see how people appear to 'know' so much or witnessed first hand animal slaughter. Most of those so concerned with animal welfare have probably not bothered to consider many things such as drugs and cosmetics being tested on animals.
Or have no problem in killing rats, swatting flies or culling foxes. They are all creatures with feelings are they not? Before anyone cries they are pests, so are most human beings!! Irritating veggies need to realise that human beings are omnivores by nature. Why suddenly are people having issues with halal/kosher meat? I'm sure if Gaga slit an animals throat in the name of her bogus causes , they would all be championing that. It IS down to the ever increasing, anti-religious sentiment that people are making such a fuss. When the animal's throat is slit in the correct trained fashion, it is instant death. A headless chicken runs around, so in halal/kosher slaughter, they don't bleed to death, they are already dead. It is the MOST humane way in killing the animal. Why not do an experiment where two equal animals undergo both methods, using medical equipment to monitor them and see how quick one dies? Of course slitting the throat will hurt for that very short moment that it is done, as opposed to the prolonged agony that stunning results in.

I agree with Mark and I am shocked that meat is not labelled as Halal. I recently stopped buying sandwiches from a sandwich shop near my place of employment because they stated that their meat was Halal. If meat is not labelled then I would be angry to find that I was eating meat slaughtered in this way.

I cannot understand why Mr Green concerned about the amount of halal meat on the supermarket. Halal & Kosher meat like any other commodity sold in the supermarket for certain customers.If the Christian people know it is a halal meat so why they buy it. All halal & Kosher meat sold in Muslim & Jewish shops until recently supermarkets entered this field for business benefit, so it is not Muslim or Jewish fault. If Mr Green concern about ritual slaughter because the animals killed without stunning, what about the meat sold from bulls killed in bull fighting in Spain and the animals are tortured in a very cruel way. This way of killing is condemned by Muslim & Jewish people.I would like to clear to Mr Green as a person worked in meat industry that most animals killed for halal in this country are stunned before slaughter. There are 2 type of stunning, stun to stun where heart still beating and this is allowed in Islamic slaughter. Second type of stunning is stun to death where the animal is dead when bled. Few months ago EU decline to produce legislation for labeling of meat from ritual slaughter that upset many people and you will be surprise that Muslims are among those who were not happy. Only Kosher meat will suffer financially because Jewish people eat only fore quarter of the animals and the rest of meat go for normal UK market. I would like to emphasis that all religions care about welfare of animals. Animal welfare is not only during slaughter, it is care of animals during rearing and transport. Do you know that around eighty years ago animals killed in EU by hitting the animal on heads by hummers and sharp objects until animal die or unconscious then slaughtered.If you read UK animal welfare Regulations at slaughter you will notice the Islamic principles concerning slaughter of animals are incorporated, e.g. animal should not slaughter within the scene of other animal, very sharp knife should be used and in one cut, the cut should severe two common carotid arteries, the slaughter man should be adult.etc. Islamic rule requires animals to be alive, never said should be conscious. Islam is a dynamic religion and adapt to different eras. Minority of Muslims ban stunning. Also Kosher slaughter for cattle using post slaughter stunning, which carried out immediately after bleeding of animals. I do not believe religions are against animal welfare at slaughter because this is not the principles of all religions.

I don't understand the speaker's point of view at all.

There is no conspiracy Mr Green.
Supermarkets buy the cheapest meat they can, to get the best profit. They do not advertise if it is Halal because people would be put off, and they would lose profit. Suppliers generate Halal meat so they can sell it to as many countries as possible, for the biggest profit. It is capitalism and profits; Not religion and prophets.

This makes me feel sad.

In my local Asda which in the Isle of Dogs a new butchers has been opened - it is exclusively Halal - whilst there are no no Halal options provided elsewhere in the store - The isle of Dogs is still vastly non Muslim so this shows an element of insensitivity to the majority - but what has driven me to distraction is that ASDA have a huge Union Jack and printed on it is "IT'S ALL HALAL IT'S ALL BRITISH"

This really has been the straw that has broken my back on this subject - there is nothing more un-British than the cruel slaughter of animals in a Muslim religious ritual.

Luckily for me there is a Waitrose on the Isle of dogs and close by a Morrison's who are proud to be British.

Ritual slaughter of animals should be banned simply because it's immoral and inhumane. I'm disgusted to hear that such a big part of the meat that is on the market is halal whether people want to buy halal or not.

This makes me feel disgusted.

I am discusted that the supermarkets are selling this produce without telling its consumers. Fair enough if your religious and do eat halal meat but the 97% of the population who are eating this may belong to other religions where halal meat is strictly frowned upon.

here here, i agree

I learned something from it.

It's fundamentally inhumane.
It's been done for hundreds of years, I assume. There's a reason though, why most things from that long ago are no longer with us, but religion generally has an amazingly strong affinity to age-old things that are extremely inappropriate for a modern day place. We have better things now for a reason. Religion should stop being so ridiculous and just accept that their methods are expired and no longer decent.

I learned something from it.

Mr Mark Green made a very good point but nothing is ever done to the crying majority about the changes that seem to affect the country from the roots.

I do not agree with ritual slaughter, but I do contradict the reasons used here. Christianity is a horrible religion, and Islam makes more sense. if anything it is a good thing that other religions are statring to erode the rock of Christianity, even if they're going the wrong way about it.

Another reason why Human Rights laws need to be adjusted- religions think they are above the law.

the question of ritual animal killing for meat is neither here nor there. the question is; is right for a non jewish or islamic faithed person to be forced to eat meat which another faiths prayers said over them? by forced i mean, of course that while jews and islamists whitter on regarding their *right* to this type of meat, every one else are refused the right of access to meat which is not produced in this manner. if islamists are given the right to counters marked halal we should have the right to counters marked Christian