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.
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

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