Florida City Commissioner Blocks Muslims From Sacrificing Animals For EID

Sheila Alu, a Florida city Commissioner, managed to prevent the slaughtering of goats and lambs as part of the Muslim Eid ritual sacrifice scheduled for this Sunday in Sunrise. Although not a vegetarian, nor anti-Muslim, Alu is simply an animal lover who was very alarmed at the idea of animals being slaughtered in her backyard, so to speak.

"Yes, I was trying to stop it. It's shut down. I'm trying to protect innocent animals. This is not an appropriate setting for the slaughtering of animals in an open field in a city that's as populated as Sunrise. Usually these religious ceremonies take place in a rural area." [snip] I have no ill will toward the Muslim faith," she said. "I'm just an animal lover."

As expected, a representative of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), Nezar Hamze, balked at the fact that someone dared prevent them from butchering all those goats and lambs.

"Wow," Hamze said. "That is very upsetting. We'll find another venue. But that's very disturbing. I'm very disappointed in that. We asked for permission and went through the proper channels and now it's off because a commissioner has a problem with it."

However, it's not just the commissioner that has a problem with it.  As of this moment, according to a Sun-Sentinel poll, an overwhelming 60% feel the exact same way.

Apparently, a bunch of Muslims from local area mosques were set to celebrate the Festival of Sacrifice at a 45-acre farm this coming Sunday.  According to Hamze, Eid ul-Adha is in  commemoration and remembrance of Abraham's trials, and ritual sacrifice is a required part of that celebration.

"The meat is sacrificed according to state and Islamic law," Hamze said. "There is no bloodbath. It's very humane. It's a slit on the throat real quick. And they bleed out in a couple seconds. The animals do not suffer."

Sorry, but this extremely graphic video (WARNING) of a goat being slaughtered is far from quick and painless.

I have no clue why sacrifice is still allowed in a civilized country, but apparently  it is.

The Florida Humane Slaughter Act governs the handling and killing of livestock, and a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision stemming from a case in Miami-Dade County upheld the right for animal sacrifices for religious purposes. That decision grew out of a lawsuit filed by the Lukumi Babalu Aye church charging the city of Hialeah with illegally enacting ordinances designed to persecute Santeria practitioners.  That means animal sacrifices for religious purposes enjoy protection from government interference, said Derek Newton, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Alu believes that animals should be killed in  a slaughterhouse, not in a field in the middle of a farm in Sunrise. Apparently the owners of the farm were not aware of what was about to take place, since it was the caretaker, Derek Matherly, who made all the arrangements.  He said of Alu,

"I find it appalling that people are so upset when they eat lambs and goats every day," he said. "Let's go back a couple thousand years ago. They used to slaughter animals and then burn them for sacrifice. I don't see the big story here. It's not like animals are being tortured."

Well, Mr. Matherly, this is the 21st century not biblical times, and the burning and/or killing of animals for sacrifice should be left in the past.

They will, of course, still be slaughtering those animals, but Hamze is keeping mum as to the location.