Cruelty and Fraud in the Halal Food Industry
Key Takeaways
While it is normally assumed that the halal industry follows all Islamic principles, in reality, however, this is not the case.
The halal food industry is plagued with cases of violating Islamic guidelines on animal ethics, and has several instances of fraud, both in Muslim-majority and diaspora contexts.
Considering this widespread violation and fraud of modern animal agriculture, the burden of proof is not on vegan Muslims to justify their lifestyle, but rather on those Muslims who continue to be a party to such industries.
We have previously argued in favor of the compatibility of Islam and veganism and that Muslims should embrace a vegan lifestyle for both the planet and animals.
In this article, we shall focus on what is arguably the central motivation leading Muslims to adopt a vegan lifestyle - the ethical violations and fraud rampant in the modern halal food industry.
Ethical violations in halal farms
Discussions surrounding halal products must go further than just the method of slaughter. For animal products to be considered halal, the animals raised for these products must first be raised in clean, healthy, and humane conditions.
While most Muslims assume that all animal products that come from halal farms or that are labeled halal adhere to Islamic guidelines, this is sadly not the case. The modern animal agriculture industry, driven purely by the aim of economic maximization, is devoid of any ethical considerations.
Indeed, it stands to reason why the modern animal agriculture industry would be concerned about ethics. An industry (halal or otherwise) operating on economic motives that treat living beings as products to be prepped and sold would hardly be concerned with their welfare.
A look at the lives of animals in factory farms
The following is a glimpse into the brief and painful lives that farm animals like cows, chickens, and fish have to endure:
Cows:
Dairy cows undergo repeated artificial insemination throughout their lifetimes and are separated from their calves shortly after giving birth.
Calves endure solitary existences in confined enclosures, deprived of their mother's milk and instead given formula milk.
Cows are capable of feeling deep emotions and forming bonds. Yet they are forced to live most of their lives alone in a cage indoors. They are not allowed to graze, leading to intense distress and depression.
Male calves raised for veal are immediately separated from their mothers after birth and are slaughtered even as young as a few weeks old.
Chickens:
Chickens in poultry farms hardly have enough space to move, and are forced to sit in confined spaces on their feces. Their rapid, forced growth can also result in their limbs breaking under their weight.
Due to such confinement in small spaces, chickens commonly undergo partial beak amputation to prevent pecking, a behavior often triggered by living in close quarters.
Chickens raised for their eggs undergo forced molting, a process involving weeks of starvation to boost egg production.
Male chicks that are not raised for meat are often useless to farmers as they do not lay eggs. They are thus disposed of in various inhumane ways, such as being tossed into shredding machines, gassed, or suffocated in plastic bags.
Fishes:
Fishes in fish farms are also confined to very small, filthy, and overcrowded spaces.
Fishes are often deprived of food for days or weeks to reduce their waste production, as this contaminates the water during transport.
Prawns and shrimps undergo eyestalk ablation - a practice where their eyes are cut off. This is done to encourage mothers to reproduce faster.
(For more information on this, see Intensive Animal Farming: Wrongs & Responsibilities by Shaykh Musa Furber.)
These modern farming practices are completely against the Islamic teachings on animal rights. Every Muslim must pause and reflect - would the Prophet (SAW), the man described as a “Mercy for all the worlds”, ever condone these inhumane practices?
Fraud in the halal food industry
In addition to ethical violations, the halal food industry is also plagued with cases of fraud and deceit.
Whether it be countries with Muslim diaspora or Muslim majority countries, scandals of fraudulent activities in the halal food industry can be found almost everywhere. In the UK, for example, it has been reported that around 75% of all chicken meat sold as halal is not halal at all. [1]
Surprisingly, and tragically, a similar state of affairs has been reported in Muslim-majority countries as well.
Cartels in Malaysia have been reported as falsely selling non-halal meat (mixed with kangaroo and horse meat, imported from countries such as China and Ukraine), as halal meat on the Malaysian market. The sellers managed to sell this non-halal “beef” by bribing government officials for about forty years! [2]
Avoiding that which is doubtful
Considering the ethical violations and fraud in the halal food industry, there is a very stark question mark as to whether the animal products sold to us as halal can truly be considered halal or not. This includes products such as eggs and milk, that do not require a halal certification and yet are assumed to be halal as default. The abysmal state of the industry creates doubt for all products under its umbrella, whether labeled or not.
Vegans simply abstain from that which is doubtful and consume only that which they know to be halal, tayyib (pure), and free from doubts.
In doing so, they are acting exactly in line with the Prophet’s (SAW) injunctions:
“The lawful is plain, and the unlawful is plain. Between the two are doubtful matters which not many people know about. So whoever avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor; but he who falls into doubtful matters falls into the unlawful—like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein…”
- Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
(Bukhari, 2051)
When vegan Muslims avoid the consumption of animal products, they are acting as conscientious followers of the Prophet (SAW) by avoiding that which is doubtful. They are going against the dietary conventions of our times, to take a stand for the creatures of Allah (SWT) who cannot speak for themselves.
The burden of proof - where does it lie?
One final but very important consideration is regarding the burden of proof.
In Islamic fiqh (jurisprudence) it has always been an established principle that the meat of animals is considered prohibited unless it is proven that all Islamic guidelines and conditions were met. [3]
This is evident from the works of leading Islamic jurists:
“As the principle concerning slaughtered animals is that their meat is prohibited, if there is doubt as to whether the condition to make them permissible was met or not, then the game animal remains prohibited, in accordance with the general principle." - Ibn Al-Qayyim (I`lam Al-Muwaqqi`in, 1/339-340)
“This highlights an important principle, which is that if there is any uncertainty that the animal was slaughtered in the proper manner which would make the meat of the animal permissible, then it is not permissible, because the basic principle is that it is prohibited. There is no dispute concerning this." - An-Nawawi (Sharh Sahih Muslim, 12/116)
In light of this, the burden of proof is not on vegans to justify why they abstain from animal products. Rather, it is on those who continue to consume meat and other animal products. It is they who must prove what grounds they have for indulging in this present system, which is plagued with issues of fraud and ethical violations.
Adopting a vegan lifestyle - a moral imperative
Owing to the rampant ethical violations of today’s profit-driven factory farms, and the widespread cases of fraud within the halal food industry, we argue that Muslims have a responsibility to abstain from the consumption of animal products and adopt a vegan lifestyle.
By doing so, not only can we take a stand against the injustice and cruelty perpetuated by the modern animal agriculture industry, but we can also act according to the Prophet’s (SAW) instructions to avoid any doubtful matters. By avoiding any doubtful matters and consuming that which we know beyond doubt to be halal and tayyib, we can keep our faith and conscience pure.
If you’re looking for ethical alternatives to animal products, head on over to our Eco Business Directory where we’ve listed several vegan businesses operating across the Muslim world. Or visit our Recipes page where we list delicious vegan recipes and food influencers you can follow!
