Islamic
vs. Western
slaughter
(Scientific results)
Al
Shaddad Bin Aous has quoted this tradition of the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) "God
calls for mercy in everything, so be merciful when you kill
and when you slaughter, sharpen your blade to relieve its
pain".
Many allegations have been made that Islamic slaughter
is not humane to animals. However, Professor Schultz and
his colleague Dr. Hazim of the Hanover University, Germany,
proved through an experiment, using an Electro encephalograph
(EEG) and Electro Cardiogram (ECG) that *Islamic slaughter
is THE humane method of slaughter* and captive bolt stunning,
practiced by the Western method, causes severe pain to the
animal. The results surprised many.
Experimental Details:
1. Several electrodes were surgically implanted
at various points of the skull of all animals, touching
the surface of the brain.
2. The animals were allowed to recover for several weeks.
3. Some animals were slaughtered by making a swift, deep
incision with a sharp knife on the neck cutting the jugular
Veins and carotid Arteries of both sides; as also the trachea
and esophagus-Halal Method.
4. Some animals were stunned using a captive bolt pistol
- humane slaughter by the western method.
5. During the experiment, EEG and ECG were recorded on all
animals to record the condition of the brain and heart during
the course of slaughter and stunning Results and Discussion:
I. Islamic method
1. The first three seconds from the time of Islamic
slaughter as recorded on the EEG did not show any change
from the graph before slaughter, thus indicating that the
animal did not feel any pain during or immediately after
the incision.
2. For the following 3 seconds, the EEG recorded a condition
of deep sleep - unconsciousness. This is due to a large
quantity of blood gushing out from the body.
3. After the above mentioned 6 seconds, the EEG recorded
zero level, showing no feeling of pain at all.
4. As the brain message ( EEG ) dropped to zero level, the
heart was still pounding and the body convulsing vigorously
(a reflex action of the spinal cord) driving maximum blood
from the body: resulting in hygienic meat for the consumer.
II Western method by C.B.P. Stunning
1. The animals were apparently unconscious soon
after stunning.
2. EEG showed severe pain immediately after stunning.
3. The hearts of the animal stunned by C.B.P. stopped beating
earlier as compared to those of the animals slaughtered
according to the Halal method resulting in the retention
of more blood in the meat. This in turn is unhygienic for
the consumer.
Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfFr6TNMds8&feature=related
Ashraf Dabayeh
Dept. of Civil Eng. (Ext. 3844)
University of Waterloo
"And among His (God's) Signs is the creation of the
heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages
and colors. Surely, in that are signs for people of sound
knowledge." {The Qur'an 30:22}
--------------------------------------------
Cattle
stun gun may heighten "madcow'" risk
By:
Leila Corcoran
Broadcasted
on BICNews 25 July 1997
Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV-0rTaJiWw&feature=related
WASHINGTON
(Reuter) - A stun gun used on cattle before slaughter can
send brain tissue scattering throughout the animal, which
could provide a route for madcow disease to spread to humans,
a consumer group said Thursday.
There
have been no documented cases of madcow disease, or bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in the United States, but
the consumers group said the use of stun guns posed a potentially
deadly risk in Europe.
``These
new discoveries mean that some of the steaks
and hamburgers Amercans eat today may contain small bits
of brain matter,'' said David Schardt, nutritionist
at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
``Now,
since BSE has not been detected here, there is no known
risk at this time. But where BSE does exist in cattle, such
meat with specks of brain tissue in it could be a deadly
meal,'' he said.
In
an unusual news conference, the Washington-based consumer
watchdog group was joined by meat industry representatives
who said they planned to sponsor a study on stunning methods
later in the year.
``If
a problem is found either with stunning in general or with
particular methods or machinery, we will move swiftly to
address it,'' said Janet Collins, a vice president at the
American Meat Institute, an industry trade group.
Brain
tissue and spinal cord are the most infectious part of an
animal
with BSE, which eats deadly holes in an infected animal's
brain. A world panic over beef was triggered after an outbreak
of the disease among British herds in the late 1980s.
Scientists
remain unsure whether madcow disease can be transmitted
to humans, but say they are concerned about an inexplicable
rise in the number of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
an incurable brain disease in humans.
BSE
has never been detected in U.S. cattle herds and federal
health officials have erected a series of ``firewalls''
against it, including banning feeding
ruminant by-products -- parts of other farm animals -- to
cattle, a practice believed to have spread BSE in
Britain.
Before
cattle are slaughtered, they are stunned with a shot to
the head to make them unconscious
and to protect workers. Stunning is
required by law so the animal feels no pain when
it dies.
The
Center for Science in the Public Interest said recent research
at Texas A&M University and by Canada's Food Inspection
Agency found a method called pneumatic
stunning delivered a force so explosive that it splattered
brain tissue throughout a cow's system.
``Our
research shows that it's possible that microscopic particles
of brain matter can be circulated to the lungs, liver and
maybe other sites,'' Tam Garland, a research veterinarian
at Texas A&M said in CSPI's July newsletter. ``The implications
are frightening.''
Some
30 to 40 percent of American cattle are stunned by pneumatic
guns, which fire a metal bolt into a cow's brain followed
by a pulverizing burst of 150 pounds of air pressure.
The
method is popular at larger U.S. meat plants because it
renders cattle insensible longer than other techniques,
erasing concerns the animals might revive before they are
killed and cause havoc in a long processing line. Pneumatic
guns are not used widely abroad.
Meat
industry officials said they started considering a study
on stunning methods several months ago after learning of
the research. They said they planned to tap U.S. and Canadian
government officials for advice on how to conduct the study
and hoped to have results by the end of the year.
``No
one wants the U.S. to remain BSE free more than the nation's
one million beef producers,'' said Gary Weber of the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Reuters
News Service
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