French debate: First it was burqas, now burgers

[compak]

French debate: First it was burqas, now burgers

Consumers queue at in fast-food chain restaurant which offer Halal burgers in Fleury Merogis, south of Paris, Wednesday, Sept.1 2010. Starting Wednesday, bacon burgers are a thing of the past in 22 outlets of French fast food chain Quick, where offerings are being tailored to meet the dietary needs of France's large Muslim community. The business decision to target an under-exploited market has unsettled some in France as the country debates what integration means and prepares to ban burqas. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)​

FLEURY-MEROGIS, France — The bacon is gone from the bacon burgers, replaced by smoked turkey. At a fast food restaurant outside Paris, a new certificate on the wall proclaims that its beef comes from cows slaughtered in line with Islamic law.
On Wednesday, popular French fast food chain Quick, the No. 2 burger chain in France after McDonald's, started serving halal-only food in 22 of its French outlets, targeting France's large Muslim population, an underexploited market that has long been ignored by big business.
If it's a savvy business decision — Quick says sales doubled at restaurants that have tested the concept — the move has also opened a new chapter in the perennial war over how much society should accommodate Muslim traditions.
Or in essence, what it means to be French.
Politicians left and right have attacked the move from every conceivable angle. Some ask why halal food should be foisted on the general population, while others worry the Quicks in question will promote segregation of the Muslim community instead of acceptance. France argues that integration is the only option for minorities, and the only way to preserve social cohesion.
The spat over the halal burgers runs alongside an even more high-profile debate in parliament: This month, the Senate looks set to approve a ban on Islamic face-covering veils such as niqabs or burqas, a law that many Muslims worry will stigmatize them.
There are also fears among Muslims that Quick's strategy change risks creating a stigma — even if many are delighted that a big French chain has their needs in mind, and tired of the filleted fish sandwiches that are often the only fast food option open to them.
Halal beef must come from a cow that has been killed by a cut to its jugular vein from which all the blood from the carcass is drained. It tastes no different from other beef.
Hedi Naamane, a 29-year-old technician who brought his 2-year-old son to taste a halal burger for lunch, says he is worried Quick's move will be fodder for racists.
"There are a lot of people who complain about mosques popping up, about halal products, and this and that, and now some people are going to say, oh la la, hang on, Quick is European!" said Naamane, as he fed his son a kids' meal.
Naamane himself was not eating. Perhaps a bit strangely, the chain launched its halal-only burger restaurants in the middle of Ramadan, a month when devout Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. Quick says the date was purely a coincidence.
Another oddity of the decision is that Quick is 94-percent owned by a subsidiary of the state-controlled bank Caisse des Depots et Consignations. Some critics find it absurd that the French state — which has such a strict interpretation of secularism that it does not allow girls to wear Muslim headscarves to school — is technically behind the operation.
A main point of contention is that Quick is not offering a non-halal menu at the 22 outlets concerned. It has a total of 346 restaurants in France.
Stephane Gatignon, the mayor of the Paris suburb of Sevran and a member of the environmentalist party Europe Ecologie, says he is worried the Quick in his town will become a Muslims-only hangout, preventing ethnic groups from mingling.
On top of that, "It's stigmatizing," he told The Associated Press. Quick is saying, "in these towns there are only Muslims, but in a town like Sevran, there are not only Muslims, there are a lot of other religions here too. Everyone has to find their place."
Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Front party, said Quick's decision was a "scandal."
"I'm not Muslim, I don't want this imposed on me," the daughter of French far-right icon Jean-Marie Le Pen told Europe-1 radio.
Kentucky Fried Chicken France says it has served halal chicken in its French outlets for 19 years. That fact is not well-known, though, and the chain has largely been left out of the debate over the burger chain.
Quick already sparked a spat earlier this year during the testing phase of the halal operation. The French city of Roubaix filed a legal complaint accusing it of discrimination. The complaint was later withdrawn, with the mayor saying he was satisfied about Quick's promises to keep the concerns of non-Muslims in mind.
At the 22 restaurants involved, beer is still on sale. For those who object to eating halal beef, the chain also says it is working on a pre-cooked non-halal burger that will be stored in a wrapper so it doesn't contaminate the rest of the offerings. The company says it expects sales of the product to be minimal.
Quick predicts a great future for halal business in France, citing an independent study last year by France's Solis agency that estimated the market for halal food is growing by 15 percent a year. In France, an estimated 5 million of the 63 million population is believed to be Muslim.
Abdel El Machkour, who oversees Quick franchises for the Paris region, said the goal is simply to be able to serve its products to a larger number of people.
"The fact that we propose this halal food range is not led by any kind of will to segregate a particular community — it is to propose a product range that many clients from all religions can consume," he told The AP. "And Quick is here to respond to that demand."

French debate: First it was burqas, now burgers

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

This is non sense..i would support a burqa ban because of security reasons but this one is unnecessary.
what difference it makes for others if the animal is killed by cutting neck(halal).
even if they don't want Halal meat they can go for non Halal meat..let muslims eat what ever they want.

 

[Patriot]

What a bunch of ****!French and Australians are buddies i guess.Biggest racists on planet.

 

[scrumpy]

This is non sense..i would support a burqa ban because of security reasons but this one is unnecessary.
what difference it makes for others if the animal is killed by cutting neck(halal).
even if they don't want Halal meat they can go for non Halal meat..let muslims eat what ever they want.

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

 

[Donatello]

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

One way or the other you are killing the animal and eating it's meat.

Man up. That's how humans evolved. I have friends here who don't eat meat, not because of religious views but because they think that animals have feelings. Freedom of speech i guess.....but when you are eating meat, doesn't matter as the animal is dead already.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

Ok.
i am not sure Halal is cruel way of killing what i learned from muslim friends is that is comparitively painless and quick death method. May be others can present contradictory views..cheers.

 

[scrumpy]

One way or the other you are killing the animal and eating it's meat.

Man up. That's how humans evolved. I have friends here who don't eat meat, not because of religious views but because they think that animals have feelings. Freedom of speech i guess.....but when you are eating meat, doesn't matter as the animal is dead already.

Yes, I do agree with you. You are killing the animal one way or the other. However I would still prefer that the end was quick and painless to the animal.

Similarly, I try and chose free range chicken or eggs from free range chicken when I am at the supermarket. I think it is very cruel the way chicken are battery farmed. Again here, I will choose the battery farmed chicken if I had no choice.

 

[Cartman]

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

It's good that you and I have this option, but Muslims don't have that choice since they're pretty much required to eat halal meat, so I guess to them a little animal suffering is not justification for not being allowed to follow their belief. The burka is a different matter.

 

[compak]

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

Islamic method of slaughtering animals consists of a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck, cutting the jugular veins and carotid arteries of both sides but leaving the spinal cord intact. The method is believed to cause minimal suffering to the animal as it cuts off the blood supply to the brain hence the pain center. Furthermore it causes all the blood from the animal to gush out leaving negligible amounts of blood remaining in the body, the principle being that blood is a good medium for germs

 

[Comet]

This is very funny. I had this illusion that French were educated and literate lot, its being proven otherwise.

 

[Spring Onion]

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

First of all your location indicates you are not in France.

Second one of your flags indicates you might be shakahari

Thirdly you are talking as if you have only ONE Restaurant in France

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

Could somebody confirm the news once again.

 

[scrumpy]

Ok.
i am not sure Halal is cruel way of killing what i learned from muslim friends is that is comparitively painless and quick death method. May be others can present contradictory views..cheers.

Most independent sources seem to think that Halal/Kosher way of slaughtering an animal is drawn out.
BBC NEWS | UK | Halal and Kosher slaughter 'must end'

An Australian friend of mine who has worked in a slaughterhouse and has been trained in Halal slaughter also has this same opinion. It was that conversation which spurred me to pay more attention to source and method of slaughter of the meat I eat.

There is no sure fire way of knowing if one way or the other is the better way. If independent studies show that Halal is the best way to slaughter animals, I will switch over to eating only Halal meat that very day.

 

[scrumpy]

First of all your location indicates you are not in France.

Second one of your flags indicates you might be shakahari

Thirdly you are talking as if you have only ONE Restaurant in France

First, Both types of meat are available here in England and India.

Second, Not every one is a vegetarian in India.

Third, I don't know why the restaurants in France have any bearing on my diet and choice of meat.

My post above is just to point out that not every one opposes Halal meat for religious reasons. Some who hold views stronger than mine will no eat if for purely ethical reasons.

 

[TechLahore]

I am uncomfortable eating meat slaughtered in the halal style. It has got nothing to do with religious views. I just think it is an unnecessarily cruel way of slaughtering an animal. If I have a choice, I would choose the non halal meat, if not, I would go ahead and eat it.

On the other hand, the French are masters of cruelty food. I doubt they would share the same concerns I have.

If pain to the animal is your concern, in that case you should only eat halal meat. In the halal method of slaughter, the nerve responsible for transmitting pain impulses to the brain is immediately severed without damaging the spinal cord and this is the least painful and quickest form of death possible for the animal.

Yahoo! Canada Answers - Christians: It's ok to eat Halal meat?

Given that you are a logical individual, I am sure you will be looking for those Halal labels from here on.

Please note that the reference I have provided is not from a muslim source.