Primary school to serve pupils halal meat whether they're Muslim or not

No choice: Dale Primary want to serve halal meat alone to avoid 'contamination'

All pupils at a primary school face being served halal meat at lunchtime whether they are Muslim or not, it emerged today.
Dale Primary, which has a large proportion of Asians among its 550 pupils, is consulting parents about the controversial move.
Under the plans pupils would only be offered Islamic-approved meals on days when meat is on the menu to 'avoid cross-contamination'.For meat to be classified halal, a Muslim must have slaughtered the animal from which it came by a single cut to the throat and without stunning it first.
A prayer, including the words 'Allah is great', is said while single cut to the throat all the blood is drained.
The school, Derby's biggest primary, provides its own catering after opting out of the city council system.
Head teacher Linda Sullivan has written to parents, carers and staff asking them if the school should offer halal meat to pupils.
Governors will consider the response before deciding whether to implement the plan.
A school spokeswoman said: 'The governors want to know if there is a strong demand as one or two parents have mentioned serving halal meat.
'The letter is asking for views and it's not a vote. If we were to change, it would probably be halal-only to avoid cross-contamination.
'The results of the survey will be going to the next governors' meeting for discussion.'
Local councillor Fareed Hussain, added: 'I think it is right that the governors should explore this but I think they need to listen to the responses carefully.
"If there are dissenting voices, I think they should consider giving a choice between halal meat or not because otherwise it will become a contentious issue.
'I know that places such as hospitals are able to offer either halal or non-halal dishes, so I can't see why the school couldn't accommodate that.'
Shabana Ayub, 30, a Muslim parent of two Dale Primary pupils, welcomed the idea of introducing halal meat but only if there were other menu options.
She said: 'I think it's a good idea because my children both like meat but they can't eat anything that's not halal.
'I think there needs to be other options because there are Hindu and Christian children who go to the school as well.'
Earlier this year parents hit out at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford after it began serving halal meat without telling them.
Many of the complaints centred around the method of slaughter, which they claimed was cruel.
And last year parents staged protests outside a school over its decision to serve only halal meat at lunchtime.
Staff called the police after one father went into Kingsgate Primary in West Hampstead, north London, to challenge the new meals policy.

New Mexico-born Imam: Muslims should leave U.S., for "the punishment of Allah is hovering over America"

Anwar al Awlaki, an American-born imam of Yemeni descent who now lives in Yemen, sees Allah's avenging hand in the economic crisis, and advises Muslims to leave America. Few Muslims, of course, will heed his words, given the fact that an America in economic collapse is still likely to be a more pleasant place to live than his own Yemen or most countries in the Islamic world. And then there is always the Muslim Brotherhood's grand jihad to eliminate and destroy Western civilization "from within" -- can't do it from Yemen.
Brothers and Sisters this leads to the belief that the punishment of Allah is hovering over America. When? And how? Allah knows best.
So if you are one of those unfortunate folks who turned out to be living in the wrong place at the wrong time then it is advisable for you to leave. That is obviously if you take heed. Many don’t and are still living the utopia of the American dream. I am not talking about Mo and Mike who are still shaking to the tunes of MTV with their coke and big mac and are only Muslim by name, but I am talking about the practicing Muslims who sadly enough still think that the America of George W is the Abyssinia of the Negus.
Hijra [flight, emigration] for the sake of Allah will continue until the day of Judgment. If you leave with the intention of forsaking the people of sin and protecting your family from evil you would be rewarded abundantly. But not everyone has the capacity to make hijra just like there were some Muslims who could not make hijra from Makkah [Mecca] at the time of Rasulullah [Prophet of Allah, i.e., Muhammad]. So for those who cannot they should pray to Allah to make a way out for them and protect them from the people of transgression.
If you are a person whom Allah has bestowed wealth upon then you should avoid owning property in the US and you should diversify out of the dollar into gold and silver. Gold and silver have retained there value over history and there is no reason to think that they would not do the same in the future. In addition to this being the prudent thing to do from a financial point of view, it is also the recommended thing to do Islamicly. Muslims should not be supporting the economy of a nation that is fighting them.
Finally, for those who are contemplating purchasing a home in the US based on mortgage which is a clear form of Riba [usury] they should fear Allah. In addition to it being one of the most evil sins in Islam it is putting money in the wrong place. Allah says that He will destroy Riba. It is a promise from Allah. There is no blessing in anything based on it. What is happening in the US nowadays is a testimony to that....

Australia: Study finds most non-Muslims still unaware that Islam has its own set of rules

Alcohol, food and gender relations are the key barriers to social interaction between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians, a study suggests.
The findings emerged from a study commissioned by the federal government to develop better community-based integration programs.
The project focused on Muslims who have experienced racism since the 2005 Cronulla riots.
To determine social barriers, researchers interviewed a group of 10 Muslims who socialise predominantly with other Muslims. They also spoke to 10 non-Muslims from the Cronulla area who did not mix with Muslims.
Among the non-Muslims, it was not well-known that drinking alcohol is forbidden under Islam.
The concept of halal - denoting what is permissible under Islam - was also little understood.
Female Muslim interviewees said they could not understand how drinking by non-Muslims can be seen as responsible behaviour.
Their male counterparts said they would refuse invitations to events where alcohol was consumed to shield the women from it...