Racist backlash over halal KFC campaign
''To the haters I just want to say: bless you and bless your family.'' Syeda Fouzia
A Muslim woman campaigning for KFC to offer halal options in New Zealand says she has received hundreds of hate messages.
Syeda Fouzia said that all Kiwi Muslims were asking for was ‘‘good fried chicken’’.
The Auckland woman said she was unfazed by the racial abuse and comments such as ‘‘go back to your own country’’.
‘‘We knew some people won’t like the idea of halal KFC. To the haters I just want to say: bless you and bless your family.
‘‘We are not asking for the whole supply chain to change, just certain [halal] days in certain branches would be fine.’’
However, David Wardly – an online critic of her campaign – said halal certification was a way for Muslims to ‘‘ram their religion’’ into New Zealand culture.
The 82-year-old said he did not know any Kiwi Muslims, but he feared the halal certificate was a way to introduce Islamic law in to New Zealand.
The Englishman said Islamic practices only had a place in Muslim countries.
‘‘We’ll enjoy your culture, your music, your customs and your food in your country. Not here.’’
Many online opponents also criticised the halal method for being cruel.
But according to the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), the country’s commercial halal practices were in line with the Animal Welfare Code.
That meant it was compulsory for all animals to be stunned unconscious before they could be slaughtered.
President of FIANZ Hazim Arafeh said the Animal Welfare Code and the halal method worked together ‘‘perfectly’’.
‘‘In Islam an animal must not suffer or be sacrificed in front of other animals.’’
He said there was no hidden radical agenda.
‘‘Halal certification is not about bringing sharia in to New Zealand, it [halal certification] exists because New Zealand wants to export to Muslim countries.’’
Restaurant Brands – the company that owns KFC in New Zealand – had earlier said a halal trial was carried out in 2001, but complexities in the supply chain led to the idea being dropped.
Marketing general manager Geraldine Oldham said the fast food chain’s position had not changed and at this stage it had no plans to re-introduce halal options in New Zealand.
There were 46,000 Muslims living in New Zealand in the 2013 census, a 28 per cent increase since 2006.
Halal is an Islamic term meaning permissible. In the dietary context it refers to meat from animals and poultry that has been slaughtered using a sharp knife and specially-trained slaughtermen who recite a special prayer.