Islam and Animals in the Postdomestic Context

Abstract

In this chapter, I analyze the discourse on animal ethics from the perspective of Islamic teachings and traditions. I discuss the tension in a multicultural society between animal rights/welfare and the practice of Islamic animal slaughter, where the latter is often considered as inhumane and inferior to modern slaughter practice. I argue for a different way to formulate a richer multicultural conversation about human–animal relationships that challenges the marginalization of religion in general, and Islam in particular, by critically analyzing the way the current discourse reduce the issue to a matter of an accommodation to religious minority rights.