A group of Muslim restaurant owners is fighting fast-food chain Popeyes Louisiana Chicken in court over the right to sell hand-slaughtered Halal meat for religious reasons.
The battle in Ontario court comes after the Atlanta-based franchise moved to replace the chicken supply with machine-killed birds. The company says it’s still Halal-certified; the franchisees claim the machine method is against the beliefs of a majority of Muslims.
“If I begin selling machine-slaughtered chicken, I will immediately lose an enormous segment of my customers,” reads the sworn affidavit from Abdul Haffejee, who owns eight Popeyes in the GTA.
Haffejee, who donates Popeyes chicken to mosques and sponsored Muslim Day at Canada’s Wonderland, said between 50 and 80 per cent of his customers are Muslim.
Halal is a term used to denote if something is lawful in the Islamic faith. !There are specific requirements for killing animals: a slaughterer who is Muslim or a believer, a blessing, and certain arteries cut before the slaughter.
In a statement, the company said it is in discussions with franchisees in the GTA to resolve the situation.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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