Editor’s note: This story was published in error; it incorrectly suggested that Denmark’s ban is new. See correction appended
Denmark enacted a sweeping ban on the religious slaughter of animals in 2014, prompting a furious backlash from Jewish and Muslim community representatives.
The ban, which requires slaughterhouse workers to stun animals before killing them, now extends to religious communities that were previously afforded an exemption. “Animal rights come before religion,” Danish minister for agriculture and food Dan Jørgensen told Denmark’s TV2.
Activists with Danish Halal called the restriction a “clear interference in religious freedom,” the Independent reports, while Israeli chief rabbi David Lau slammed the law as “a serious and severe blow to the Jewish faith and to the Jews of Denmark,” according to Times of Israel.
Both observant Jews, under kashrut laws and Muslims, under halal laws, will not eat meat unless the animal has been killed with a single slice to the neck, with the intention to minimize its pain.
Correction: This story was based on old sources and incorrectly suggested that Denmark’s ban is new. It was enacted in February 2014.
See How Muslims Around the World Celebrate Eid al-Fitr
An Afghan boy attends Eid al-Fitr prayers in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, on July 17, 2015. Sayed Mustafa—EPAMuslim faithful take part in morning prayers to celebrate the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, at the Eastleigh High School in Eastleigh, a suburb in Nairobi predominantly inhabited by Somali immigrants within Kenya's capital Nairobi, on July 17, 2015. Boniface Mwangi—ReutersChinese Muslims of the Hui ethnic minority hold incense as they pray at the Imam's Tomb before the last Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the historic Niujie Mosque on July 17, 2015 in Beijing.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA young Chinese Muslim of the Hui ethnic minority sits on a prayer rug as men stand and pray during the last Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the historic Niujie Mosque on July 17, 2015 in Beijing.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesAn Indian Muslim devotee looks on before the start of Jummat-Ul-Vida prayers on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday at Jama Masjid Mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi on July 17, 2015. Chandan Khanna—AFP/Getty ImagesMuslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers outside Al Noor Mosque in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on July 17, 2015.Francois Nel—Getty ImagesSyrian refugee children dressed in new clothes hold the hands of their grandmother while walking back to their shelter on the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, on July 17, 2015. Muhammed Muheisen—APA Nigerian Muslim family takes a selfie portrait before Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 17, 2015. Sunday Alamba—APIndonesian muslims walk on 'sea of sands' as they prepare for Eid Al-Fitr prayer at Parangkusumo beach in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on July 17, 2015.Ulet Ifansasti—Getty ImagesA picture taken from the Abraj al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, shows Muslim worshipers praying at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, a day before the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, on July 16, 2015.AFP/Getty Images
