On Tuesday, the all-Muslim Hamtramck City Council decided to endorse the practice of animal sacrifice for religious purposes on private land.
Three people of Yemeni descent have served on the council since the 2021 elections, along with two people with Bangladeshi ancestry and one person who was born in Eastern Europe but converted to Islam.
It took a 3-2 margin to approve animal sacrifice. The idea received a second vote from the Muslim mayor Amer Ghalib, according to the Detroit Free Press.
During the holy holiday of Eid al-Adha, Muslims sacrifice animals. Muslims make up a sizable portion of the population in Hamtramck.
According to the Associated Press, Dawud Walid, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Michigan chapter, downplayed the significance of animal sacrifice by claiming it was “not something new or novel.”
Muslims will then acknowledge Abraham’s decision to sacrifice a sheep rather than his son, according to Walid.
If the council did not pass the bill, according to city attorney Odey Meroueh, it would be in jeopardy legally.
According to Detroit News, he claimed that “animal sacrifice is permitted in every city of the state.”
He claimed that a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision restricted the municipal government’s ability to prohibit animal sacrifice.
We thank the Hamtramck City Council for upholding the right of Muslims and people of other faith communities to conduct animal sacrifices. This is an important rite in many faiths and is protected by our first amendment. pic.twitter.com/O1HXVnYd4m
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) January 11, 2023
According to councilwoman Amanda Jaczkowski, there is a discrepancy between the general public’s opinion and the city attorney’s recommendations.
She asked, “Do we want to put the city at risk of being sued in order to respect the overwhelming popular opinion?”
The proposal was opposed by some.
Yoshiro Lee stated, “I’m a butcher, and I know what happens if amateurs kill.
Diane Lee, a local, expressed her skepticism that people who sacrifice animals would give the city advance notice as required by law.
“No, it’s not safe or sane or humane,” Lee said.
But the objections did not win out.
“If somebody wants to do it, they have a right to do their practice,” Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Mohammed Hassan said, according to the Free Press.
What do you think about all this?
I am pretty sure I already know what you will say, but let’s hear it.