The Animal Interfaith Alliance Magazine Spring 2017 - Issue 6 Faiths Working Together for Animals In This Issue: Animals’ Angels - We Are There for the Animals - Rev. Christa Blanke What does Brexit mean for Veganism? - Jeanette Rowley Animal Welfare - Animal Rights: Time for a Review? - Dr Richard Ryder Divine Music: The Mystery of Creation - Fr Martin Henig Kosher Cruelty In which We Should Want No Part - Lara Smallman Animals Are Not Freight - CIWF www.animal-interfaith-alliance.com 1 People Member Organisations President: - Satish Kumar (Jain) Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (ASWA) - www.aswa.org.uk Vice President: - Dr Deborah Jones The Bhagvatinandji Education & Health Trust - www.beht.org (Vice Chair - CCA) Catholic Concern for Animals (CCA) - www.catholic-animals.com Christian Vegetarian Association UK (CVA UK) - www.christianvegetarians.com Patrons: Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA US) - www.christianveg.org Kay, Duchess of Hamilton Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) (Buddhist) - www.dharmavoicesforanimals.org Joyce D’Silva (Ambassador CIWF) Institute of Jainology (IOJ) - www.jainology.org Nitin Mehta MBE (Jain) Islamic Concern (IC) - www.islamicconcern.com Dr André Menache (Jewish) Dr Alpesh Patel (Hindu) The Jewish Vegetarian Society (JVS) - www.jvs.org Dr Matthieu Ricard (Buddhist) The Mahavir Trust Dr Richard D. Ryder (Ethicist) Oshwal Association of the UK (OAUK) - www.oshwal.co.uk Anant Shah (Jain) Quaker Concern for Animals (QCA) - www.quaker-animals.co.uk Muhammad Safa (Muslim) Sadhu Vaswani Centre (Hindu) - www.sadhuvaswani.org Ajit Singh MBE (Sikh) Veerayatan: Compassion in Action - www.veerayatan.org Charanjit Singh (Sikh) The Young Jains - www.youngjains.org.uk Board: Rev. Feargus O’Connor - Chair (Unitarian Minister, Secretary - World Congress of Faiths) Barbara Gardner - CEO (CCA - Publications & Finance Officer) Ketan Varia - Secretary (Jain) Judith Wilkings - Treasurer (QCA) Thom Bonneville - Director (Co-clerk - QCA) Sarah Dunning - Director Chris Fegan - Political Education & Campaigns Director (Chief Executive - CCA) Rev. Prof. Martin Henig - Director (Vice President - ASWA) Dr Harshad Sanghrajka - Director (Vice-Chair - Institute of Jainology) Secretaries: Marian Hussenbux - International Campaigns Secretary (QCA) Sheila Thomas - Membership Secretary Vision (CCA) A peaceful world where people of all faiths, and all those who believe in a Advisors: compassionate world, work together to treat all animals with respect and Cultural & Diversity - Dr Atul Shah compassion. Legal - David Thomas Scientific - Dr André Menache Mission The Animal Interfaith Alliance is a To create a united voice for animals from all of the world’s faiths and registered not-for-profit company, spiritual beliefs, based on their founders’ teachings, to bring about the number: 8958588 humane treatment of animals. Registered company address: www-animal-interfaith-alliance.com 31 1/2 Hoop Lane, Golders Green, © Animal Interfaith Alliance 2016 NW11 8BS 2 Index Animal Spirit Articles Page The Animal Interfaith Alliance in 2016 …………………...… Barbara Gardner …….. …....4 Magazine AIA’s Campaigning Activity in 2016 ………..……………… Marian Hussenbux …... .…....6 Previous editions Ahimsa in Action ……………………………………………. Rev. Feargus O’Connor ..…..12 of Animal Spirit Animal Welfare - Animal Rights? Time for a Review? …….. Dr Richard Ryder ……. ..…..14 can be found on the What Does Brexit Mean for Veganism? …………………….. Jeanette Rowley …...… ..…..18 Yoga, Ahimsa and Veganism ………………………………. Nitin Mehta MBE …… …....20 AIA website . Divine Music: The Mystery of Creation ...………………...… Fr Martin Henig …...… ..…..21 Animals Angels -We Are There for the Animals ……….…... Rev. Christa Blanke …. ..…..24 Kosher Cruelty in which We Should Want No Part ………... Lara Smallman ………. …....28 News 13th Interfaith Celebration for Animals …….………………. ……………………….. ..…...12 AIA Calls for a Review on Animals in Legislation …………. ……………………….. ...….15 Safe & Sound Radio …………………………………….…... .……………………….. …….20 Animal Memorial ………………………………………..….. ……………………….. ..…..26 Animals Are Not Freight ……………………………………. ………………………... ..…..27 The Ongoing Badger Cull ………………………………..…. ………………………... .…...29 Winchester University Centre for Animal Welfare …………. ………………..………. ..…..30 All Party Parliamentary Group on Veg’ism ……………….... ………………………... ...….31 All Party Parliamentary Group on Jainism ………….…….... ……………………….. ……31 New Animal Replacement Centre of Excellence Launched ... ……………………...... .…...31 ASWA Animals in War Memorial Service ………..………... ……………………….. …....32 Interfaith Week …………………………………………….... ……………………….. .…...32 AIA to Work with the Alliance for Religions & Conservation ……………………….. ...….33 Young Indian Vegetarians’ 36th Christmas Dinner ………… ……………………….. ...….34 Meatless Pledge Day ………………………………………... ……………………….. ...….34 Earthling Ed’s Animal Rights March ….……………...…….. ………………………... ...….34 Items of Interest In Memoriam ……………………………………...…..……. ……………………….. …...35 Holy Moli: Albatross and Other Ancestors …………………. Hob Osterlund ……….. .......36 World’s Happiest Person - A Prayer …………………….….. Judy Carmen ………… .......38 Book Review: A Plea for the Animals by M. Ricard ……….. Barbara Gardner ……... ..….38 Book Review: Animals in Religion by Barbara Allen ……… Barbara Gardner ……... ..….39 Book Review: QCA’s Journeys of Compassion …………….. Ann Johnson …………. …...39 Advertisements ……………………………………………… ……………………….. …...40 Fundraising ……………………………………………….…. ……………………….. …...42 Membership Form …………………………………..………. ………………………... …...43 Front Cover Photo by Animals Angels Please Donate to AIA AIA is a unique alliance of organisations which represent all the major faiths. Not only is it the only organisation to speak out on the moral treatment of animals by drawing on the combined wisdom of all the faiths, but it also promotes social harmony by bringing the faith groups together on an issue that they all share a concern for. Such cooperation between the faiths is what politicians are encouraging and, as such, they are listening to AIA. Therefore AIA is in a uniquely strong position to campaign for animals. However, in order to continue campaigning for animals AIA needs funds. Please make any donation you can by visiting our website and donating via PayPal or by completing the ‘Friend’ form on page 43 and sending a cheque. Your support is very much appreciated. 3 The Animal Interfaith Alliance in 2016 AIA CE and editor of Animal Spirit magazine, Barbara Gardner, gave the following address to the 13th Interfaith Celebration for Animals on 22nd October 2016 on the work of the Alliance during that year. By Barbara Gardner n early 2014, when we Methane and nitrous oxide emitted from farm animals I were first setting up are the most potent greenhouse gases and far more rain the Animal Interfaith forest is destroyed for cattle ranches than for palm oil. Alliance, Feargus and I (Methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide and attended an event nitrous oxide is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide organised by the – see Lisa Kemmerer’s book Eating The Earth and the film government department Cowspiracy). Yet the environment movement still focuses responsible for interfaith on cutting carbon emissions and reducing palm oil and is co-operation, who were failing to embrace the challenge of eating less meat, or looking to support faith better still, changing to a plant-based diet, in order to tackle groups working in the climate change and environmental destruction. This issue community. Somebody was not on the table at last year’s Climate Change there told us that we Conference in Paris. would never get all the Likewise, organisations campaigning to end world faiths co-operating on the poverty are not embracing the challenge of redirecting the issue of animals, as there was so much religious division grain, which is fed to surrounding them, particularly in the area of religious ————————————— farm animals to provide slaughter. It would, at best, be problematic and, at worst, be Our job is to work with these meat for the first world, totally unworkable. Well here we are, over two years on, and other organisations to re- to the poor and starving I can tell them that, so far, they were completely wrong. connect the issues that they of the third world, who I am delighted to say that we have 15 member are concerned about with the are being deprived of that organisations from across all the main faiths who are totally plight of the animals and to grain. committed to animal welfare and rights and are totally in get the issue of large-scale This is an issue about agreement that we should treat our fellow travellers in this factory farming and the mass human health as well, and cosmic journey with kindness and compassion and that we eating of meat by those in the the multi-billion-dollar should apply the golden rule, which is common to all faiths, first world onto their medical bill of dealing to all sentient beings and not just humans. In other words, agendas. with heart-disease, stroke, we should treat all sentient beings as we would wish to be ————————————— diabetes and some treated ourselves. The differences in views on religious cancers – money that slaughter, so feared by our friend at that meeting over two could be going to help the poor. The World Health years ago, has never been an issue – all our members are Organisation recently officially labelled red meat as agreed that we should not be slaughtering animals at all. carcinogenic. Encouraging the poor of the world to share our meat-based diet will only