Halal Slaughter

Halal prescription and practice have changed over time in line with external social conditions and perceptions of religious purity and piety among Muslims around the world. Before the modern period, Sunni jurists largely accepted the ritually slaughtered meat of Jews and Christians, and there was little questioning of dietary practices and religious rituals. In the modern period, by contrast, as Muslims have become dependent on meat produced in non-Muslim settings, doubt has emerged about the acceptability of pre-slaughter stunning and mechanical slaughter practices. This chapter explores the changing nature of the issues involved through a range of historical and contemporary examples and sources.