Residents of a Detroit-area community with a large Muslim population can sacrifice animals at home for religious reasons. The Hamtramck City Council explicitly approved the practice, 3-2, Tuesday, another step in recognizing a cultural shift in a city whose 20th-century history was shaped by Polish immigrants.
Muslims often slaughter animals, typically goats or sheep, or pay someone to do it for them during the holy holiday of Eid al-Adha. Meat is shared with family, friends, and the poor.
The Hamtramck council in December had voted to continue a ban on animal slaughter but reversed course, at least for religious reasons, after legal advice and objections from people who follow the Islamic faith, the Detroit Free Press reported.
“If somebody wants to do it, they have a right to do their practice,” council member Mohammed Hassan said. Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said “it’s not something new or novel.” (SOURCE)
