L’interdiction de l’abattage rituel en suisse
The Ban on Ritual Slaughter in Switzerland

Summary/Abstract: Switzerland is one of the rare countries of Western Europe that forbids the ritual slaughtering since 1893. This interdiction was even registered in the Swiss constitution following a popular initiative. If it doesnʹt appear anymore in the new constitution entered in force January 1st, 2000, this interdiction is dedicated by the law on the protection of animals. The interdiction of the ritual slaughtering means that it is prohibited to slaughter the mammalian animals without a previous stunning in order to reduce their suffering. The Western Countries that permit the ritual slaughtering estimate that such an interdiction violate the religious liberty of the Jewish community and the Muslim community. But actually, no Jewish or Muslim norm opposes the previous stunning of the mammalian animals. The Jewish and Muslim law forbid to eat the meat of animals found dead. However, the stunning of the animals doesnʹt necessarily provoke the death of the animal before it is slaughtered. Actually, the reason of the attachment of Jews and Muslims to the no resort to the stunning is mainly of economic order: to be able to affix on meat the label casher and the label halal by the butchers of these two communities and to attract the customers with this religious label. Rabbis and mosques that deliver such a label are paid in counterpart.The interdiction of the ritual slaughtering is considered by the Jews and Muslims as an antisemitic and islamophobic measure, but it is only a measure aiming to reduce the suffering of the animals. The stunning of the animals in this regard is assimilated to anesthesia before a surgical operation. No Jew and no Muslim would accept to be operated without being anesthetized. What one requires for oneself must also be applied to our four‐legged mates. Letʹs signal here that the violence against the animals is a prelude of the violence between humans. Who doesnʹt have mercy of the animals, can have mercy of his human brothers with difficulty.

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