This book, the first of its kind, surveys Islamic and Muslim attitudes toward animals, and human responsibilities towards them, through Islams's phiolosophy, literature, mysticism, and art. A must read for anyone interested in the debate on animal rights and responsible food production.

From references to animals in the Qu'ran to modern-day websites on Islamic vegetarianism, Richard C. Foltz presents the first comprehensive study of the role of animals in the Islamic tradition. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including classic mysticism, Foltz traces the development of Islamic attitudes towards animals over the centuries and confronts the key ethical questions facing Muslims today. Modern advances in science and technology and the increasing prevalence of techniques such as bioengineering and factory farming have forced many religions to reassess their traditional notions of animal rights and, as Foltz demonstrates, Muslims are increasingly asking their tradition to respond to such issues. Scholarly yet accessible, this is an original and informative contribution to Islamic studies, and will be essential reading for anyone, Muslim or non-Muslim, with an interest in the significance of religion and culture for the contemporary animal rights debate.

Challenging the prevalent view, this book illustrates the importance of animals in the Islamic tradition, in which they are viewed as equal beings to humans.

A unique handbook providing a set of good practice standards for both producers and consumers of Halal food This accessible, authoritative book covers all aspects of Halal from its origins through to how we expect Halal to develop in the coming years. It explains what Halal is, where it came from, how it is practiced, and by whom. In addition to putting Halal in a religious and cultural context, the book provides practical standards for those working in the Halal trade. It explains why there are so many different interpretations of Halal and why this needs to be resolved if international trade is to be developed. Each chapter in The Halal Food Handbook is written by leading experts in their particular field of study. The first one discusses how regulatory bodies have failed to stem the miss selling and adulteration of Halal foods. The next chapters cover the slaughter process and issues around good practice. The book then looks at regulators—covering Sharia law, UK national laws, and the EU—and outlines the legal framework for enforcing the law. It also compares and contrasts different types of religious slaughter for faith foods; examines attempts to set an international standard for trade; and discusses pork adulteration in Halal foods. The final chapter covers other aspects of Halal, including cosmetics, tourism, lifestyle, and banking, and finishes with a look at what the future holds for Halal. Written and edited by leading international experts in Halal who are backed by the Muslim Council of Britain Presents a set of good practice standards for both producers and consumers of Halal food Covers the complexity of the political, legal, and practical dimensions of Halal food production The Halal Food Handbook will appeal to a wide audience, including abattoirs, manufacturers, retailers, regulators, academics, public bodies catering for Muslims, and the broader Muslim community.

Animals in rural Egypt became enmeshed in social relationships and made possible many tasks otherwise impossible. Rather than focus on what animals represented or symbolized, Mikhail discusses their social and economic functions, as Ottoman Egypt cannot be understood without acknowledging animals as central shapers of the early modern world.

An examination of the practice and philosophy of sacrifice in three religious traditions In the book of Genesis, God tests the faith of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham by demanding that he sacrifice the life of his beloved son, Isaac. Bound by common admiration for Abraham, the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam also promote the practice of giving up human and natural goods to attain religious ideals. Each tradition negotiates the moral dilemmas posed by Abraham’s story in different ways, while retaining the willingness to perform sacrifice as an identifying mark of religious commitment. This book considers the way in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims refer to “sacrifice”—not only as ritual offerings, but also as the donation of goods, discipline, suffering, and martyrdom. Weddle highlights objections to sacrifice within these traditions as well, presenting voices of dissent and protest in the name of ethical duty. Sacrifice forfeits concrete goods for abstract benefits, a utopian vision of human community, thereby sparking conflict with those who do not share the same ideals. Weddle places sacrifice in the larger context of the worldviews of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, using this nearly universal religious act as a means of examining similarities of practice and differences of meaning among these important world religions. This book takes the concept of sacrifice across these three religions, and offers a cross-cultural approach to understanding its place in history and deep-rooted traditions.