The first information about what happens in slaughterhouses came to me after reading “Fast Food Nation”, which told about the terrible treatment of animals in slaughterhouses. To say that I was horrified is to say nothing. At that moment, I realized how ignorant I was about this topic. Partly, my ignorance could be due to naive ideas about how the state “protects” animals raised for food, creating proper conditions for them and so on. I could accept the disgusting treatment of animals and the environment in the US, but we Canadians are different, right? Those were my thoughts.
The reality turned out to be that there are practically no laws in Canada prohibiting animal cruelty in factories. Animals can be beaten, raped, mutilated, in addition to the nightmarish conditions in which their short existence passes. All those standards that are prescribed by the Canadian Food Inspectorate are not really applied in the pursuit of producing more and more meat. The meat and dairy industry in Canada, as in other countries, is associated with serious damage to the environment, health, and, of course, a terrifying attitude towards animals.
With the spread of all the truthful information about the meat industry, constant movements of caring citizens began, including Muslims, who made a choice in favor of an ethical plant-based diet.
Not surprisingly, vegetarian Muslims are a source of controversy, if not controversy. Islamic philosophers, such as the late Gamal Al-Banna, have said: .
Al-Banna said:
Hamza Yusuf Hanson, a well-known American Muslim, warns of the detrimental impact of the meat industry on the environment and ethics, as well as health due to excessive consumption of meat. Yusuf is convinced that from his point of view, animal rights and environmental protection are not alien concepts of the Muslim religion, but a Divine mandate. Moreover, Yusuf’s research indicates that the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims were consuming meat from time to time.
Vegetarianism is not a new concept for some Sufists. For example, Chishti Inayat Khan, who introduced Sufi principles to the West, the late Sufi Sheikh Bawa Muhayaddin, who did not allow the consumption of animal products in his presence. Rabia from the city of Basra (Iraq) is one of the most revered Sufi holy women.
If you look from another aspect of religion, you can, of course, find opponents of vegetarianism. The Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments believes that . Such a pathetic interpretation of the existence of animals in this world, unfortunately, exists in many countries, including Muslim ones. I believe that such reasoning is a direct result of a misinterpretation of the concept of Khalifa in the Qur’an.
The Arabic word, as interpreted by Islamic scholars Dr. Nasr and Dr. Khalid, means “guardian, guardian” who maintains the balance and integrity of the Earth. These scholars speak of the concept of Khalifa as the main “agreement” that our souls freely entered into with the Divine Creator, and which governs our every action in this world.
(Koran 40:57). Earth is the most perfect form of creation, while man is its guest and is a lesser form of significance. In this connection, we humans must fulfill our duties in the framework of humility, humility, and not superiority over other forms of life.
The Qur’an says that the resources of the Earth belong to both man and the animal kingdom. (Koran 55:10).