Jews and Muslims Push Denmark on Kosher Slaughter
A joint delegation of observant Muslims and Jews made the case to the Danish ambassador to the United States that his country’s ban on ritual slaughter was harmful to its reputation.
Leading the 10-person delegation to meet Peter Taksøe-Jensen on Feb. 27 were Rabbi Marc Schneier, the president for the Fonmdation for Ethnic Understanding, and Dr. Sayyid Syeed, the director of the Islamic Society of North America.
“One can only wonder if the Danish government is seeking to make life so difficult for Muslims and Jews that many will decide to leave the country,” Syeed said in a statement released prior to the meeting.
Schneier told JTA after the meeting that it went well, and Taksøe-Jensen pledged to relay its message to his government.
“He was not aware of the magnitude of the damage this has caused Denmark’s reputation,” Schneier said.
Denmark’s ban on kosher and halal slaughter went into effect last week.
The ban’s proponents say that ritual slaughter, which does not allow for stunning prior to killing, is cruel.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
