Happy Halal Thanksgiving

"In a little-known strike against freedom, yet again, we are being forced into consuming meat slaughtered by means of a torturous method: Islamic slaughter."That's Pam Geller, in one of her characteristically thoughtful, even-handed, low-key dispatches in American Thinker. Few non-mosque-going consumers know this, she says, but Swift Butterball Turkeys are halal! "Turkeys that are halal certified -- who wants that, especially on a day on which we are giving thanks to G-d for our freedom? I wouldn't knowingly buy a halal turkey -- would you? Halal turkey, slaughtered according to the rules of Islamic law, is just the opposite of what Thanksgiving represents: freedom and inclusiveness, neither of which are allowed for under that same Islamic law."And what does Islamic law demand? What follows isn't for the fainthearted. "Halal slaughter involves cutting the trachea, the esophagus, and the jugular vein, and letting the blood drain out while saying "Bismillah allahu akbar" -- in the name of Allah the greatest," Geller reveals. It's ironic, she points out, that PETA liberals, who would rather let people die of cancer and AIDS than see a single laboratory animal suffer, have nothing to say about this horror.Fortunately, people who eat kosher turkeys don't have to worry about this. Kosher turkeys are slaughtered with compassion and respect. Here's how it's done, according to Judaism 101:

The procedure that a shochet, or kosher slaughterer, uses to kill the animal is a highly precise and technical step and is designed to remove as much blood from the meat as possible prior to consumption.Using a long, smooth-bladed knife that is razor sharp, the shochet severs the carotid, esophagus, trachea and jugular veins with one quick motion. The severing of the carotid forces an immediate drop in blood pressure, which renders the animal irreversibly unconscious. It also facilitates the removal of blood, as the mitzvah describes.

At least the shochets don't say anything about Allah.Itanimulli