Fwd: Confirmation that Fakieh poultry in Saudi Arabia and all other local companies slaughter by hand

[Ahmed Arbee]

FYI

.……….....................

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Ahmed Arbee

Islamic Development Bank

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

+966 2 646-7030 (w)

+966-50-4321-608 (c)

Begin forwarded message:

From: Moods <protoco...@gmail.com>
Date: 10 March 2012 07:51:38 PM GMT+03:00
To: Ahmed Arbee <arb...@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Confirmation that Fakieh poultry in Saudi Arabia and all other local companies slaughter by hand

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Mahmood Kaka <abuhu...@gmail.com>
Date: March 8, 2012 7:42:57 GMT+03:00
To: savemark <save...@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Confirmation that Fakieh poultry in Saudi Arabia and all other local companies slaughter by hand

----- Original Message -----

From: Mohammed Yusuf

To: 

Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 7:53 AM

Subject: Confirmation that Fakieh poultry in Saudi Arabia and all other local companies slaughter by hand

 

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

 

On the 12th of June 2011, I and Ali Boukman and Ifran Ali, both Guyanese students studying in the International Islamic University of Madinah, met with Eng. Hassan Kanan, Maintenance General Manager of Fakieh Poultry Farms in Saudi Arabia. We met with him in the Fakieh Building in Al Aziziah St. in Makkah. Eng. Kanaan informed us that he has wide experience in the Middle East poultry business having previously worked for Watania Poultry Farms in Saudia Arabia and for a company in his native Jordan as well. He informed us that in Saudi Arabia it is illegal to slaughter by machine and the same is true he said in Jordan Syria Egypt and Turkey where in the last-mentioned country he has visited poultry farms. He volunteered that it was his belief that it is haram to slaughter chickens by machine and that this is well-known among the laymen in all Muslim countries.

 

He informed us that Fakieh Poultry Farms has three major slaughtering plants: the biggest one is in Zyma some 50 k. northeast of Makkah on the way to As Sayl. He confirmed that in all their plants they slaughter by hand.

 

Of course the chickens are brought before a row of slaughterers by converyor belt, but they are slaughtered by the hands of humans. Eng. Kanan offered to send us with his subordinate Eng. Mahmoud Hesnawe to the plant at Zyma and accordingly we went to Zyma on the same day with Eng. Hesnawe and we in fact observed that the chickens were being slaughtered by a row or five workers. A sixth person stood away from them down the line observing all the chickens as a precaution to make sure all had had their throats cut by the other workers. Eng. Hesnawe told us that the work of slitting throats was strenuous so the workers rotated on half-hour shifts. We observed that sanitary measures were enforced in the extreme. We were required to wear clean white coats and disposable plastic headgear and disposable plastic covers for our shoes and disposable face masks.

 

For your information, Eng. Kanan informed us that they feed all of their chickens only grain--no animal protein and no hormones.

 

Notwithstanding, it should be born in mind that that while local poultry slaughtering plants in the kingdom slaughter in conformity with the shariah, imported frozen chicken is imported from China France and South America and it is widely available in supermarkets and small grocery stores within the kingdom and it is what is most commonly offered in restaruants and cafeterias here. This imported chicken is of highly doubtful lawfulness to say the least, and one must avoid it. The lax policy of permitting the importation from these non-Muslim countries is the result of an erroneous fatwa first given by Ibn Mahmud (d. 1427 / 1997; Doha), and followed by a number of influential shaikhs in the Middle East and by Bilal Phillips in the west, who wrongheadedly argued that the meat of the People of the Book was lawful to us without any conditions. However, chicken offered in Tazij Restaurants, which is owned by the owner of Fakieh Poultry Farms, is only from Fakieh Poultry Farms, so one can rely on this restaurant chain for halal chicken.

 

It has been my knowledge for the last more than 20 years that Shaikh Abd al-Rahman Fakieh the owner of Fakieh Poultry Farms is a pious business man from a distinguished Makkan family and that he has always insisted that all poultry in his plants must be slaughtered by hand. I have prayed a countless number of times in his mosque known as Masjid Fakieh on the main street in Aziziah and on countless occasions I have seen him reciting the Qur'an after Fajr Prayer till near sunrise. Furthermore, I have witnessed long lines of needy people waiting for him after Fajr Prayer with petitions for medical or financial help and he receives them all and signs them and directs them for consideration to his charity department. My belief that his poultry was slaughtered by hand was only shaken by some rumors that I had heard this year and realizing that I really had no first-hand knowledge of the matter I made enquiries at different offices in the Fakieh company until I was directed to the kind consideration of Eng. Hassan Kanan. If any have further enquiries they may direct them to him at hka...@fakiehgroup.com .  I have taken the precaution to have Eng. Kanan read this letter before sending it out to make sure that all the information is correct.

 

وسلام
مولوي محمد يوسف

 

There is nothing so powerful as truth, and often nothing so strange.--Daniel Webster