ANIMAL SPIRIT The Animal Interfaith Alliance Magazine Autumn 2017 - Issue 7 Faiths Working Together for Animals In This Issue: Campaigning Activity 2017 Eurogroup for Animals 14th Interfaith Celebration for Animals Faith & Animal Welfare - Joyce D’Silva The Ethics of Fur - At the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Felines of Faith - Barbara Allen 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) Thom Bonneville - Director (Clerk - QCA) Sarah Dunning - Director (CCA Trustee) Chris Fegan - Deputy Chair (CCA Chief Executive) Rev. Prof. Martin Henig - Director (Vice President - ASWA) Dr Harshad Sanghrajka - Director (Vice-Chair - Institute of Jainology) Ketan Varia - Director (Jain) Judith Wilkings - Director (QCA) Secretaries: Marian Hussenbux - International Campaigns Secretary (QCA) Sheila Thomas - Membership Secretary Vision (CCA Trustee) 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 Articles Page Spirit The Animal Interfaith Alliance in 2017 ………………...…... Barbara Gardner ……. …....4 Magazine AIA’s Campaigning Activity in 2017 ………..…………...… Marian Hussenbux ….. .…...5 Barbara Gardner ..….. ......14 Previous editions Eurogroup for Animals ……………………………….……... 14th Interfaith Celebration for Animals …….………………. Barbara Gardner ...….. …..16 of Animal Spirit Faith and Animal Welfare …………………………………... Joyce D’Silva ………. …..19 can be found on the Gandhi Schweitzer Universal Kinship Appeal ………….….. ………………………. ......22 AIA website . Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics - The Ethics of Fur …..…. ………………………. ......23 Felines of Faith …………………………………………..… Barbara Allen …….…. ......24 Book Reviews: Jainism and Ethical Finance by Atul Shah and Aiden Rankin …………………….... ......26 Dead Zone by Philip Lymbery ……………………….……… ……………………… …..26 India by Nitin Metha …………………………. …………….. ………………..……. …..27 Items of Interest Events ……………………………………………...…..……. ………………………. …..27 Advertisements ……………………………………………… ………………………. …..28 Fundraising ……………………………………………….…. ……………………..... ......30 Membership Form …………………………………..………. ………………………. ......31 Prayer Prayer for the Non-Human Innocents ……………………… Danielle Cartotto ……. …..32 ‘Love is not love if it does not include love of animals. What kind of compassion is it which adores human life, but ignores the slaughter of animals?’ Satish Kumar - AIA President (You are, Therefore I am - Green Books 2010) Please Help AIA Support Animals 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 31 and sending a cheque. Your support is very much appreciated. 3 The Animal Interfaith Alliance in 2017 By Barbara Gardner he first part of 2017 has Globally T been very active for AIA, AIA will also be adding its voice to the campaign to end particularly with our the truly shocking global fur trade which kills 30 million international campaigning work animals each year. Despite fur farms having been banned which is described in detail in in the UK (although imports and sales of fur continue), fur Marian Hussenbux’s report on farms are still common throughout the world. In July, pages 5-13. AIA has been bringing Chris Fegan and I attended the Oxford Centre for Animal the weight of the interfaith Ethics annual conference which, this year, was on the community to the fight to end cruel Ethics of Fur and was sponsored by Respect for Animals. practices and for the freedom of We listened to the issues and will be devising AIA’s animals all around the world. strategy to campaign on the fur issue. Details of the conference are on page 23. Britain Marian will also be highlighting, in her report, AIA’s In Britain, we have campaigned against a battery rabbit farm, campaign work in North America and Canada, the Middle the cruel practices of the Norfolk meat traders, the use of the East, Asia and Australasia. ankus on zoo elephants, animals in circuses and hunting in its various forms, including writing to the Prime Minister to Member Organisations persuade her that allowing a vote on repealing the Hunting I would like to thank all AIA’s member organisations, Act would alienate voters from the faith communities. She listed on page 2, for all the outreach work they do in their didn’t listen and our warnings appear to have been proved own faith communities to promote the cause for animals correct. and for supporting our interfaith work. Please support On 8th July we held the 14th Interfaith Celebration for them and their events, which are outlined on page 27 and Animals at Golders Green Unitarians, organised and led by updated regularly on our website. AIA Chair, Rev. Feargus O’Connor. Full details are given on pages 16-18. Our guest speakers were Joyce D’Silva from Compassion in World Farming who talked about Faith and Animal Welfare and Dr Alpesh Patel from Animal Free Research UK. Joyce’s inspirational speech is reproduced on pages 19-21. 3rd AIA AGM Europe Saturday 25th November 2017 In Europe, we campaigned against hare coursing in Ireland, Norwegian whaling, the poisoning of street animals in Bosnia at 2.00pm and bullfighting - even writing to Pope Francis, requesting at that he condemns this cruel practice. Friends Meeting House, We have also started working with Eurogroup for Euston, London. Animals, a coalition of animal welfare groups across Europe which is based in Brussels and campaigns at the Guest speakers: European level for better animal welfare laws and better enforcement of them. AIA member organisation, Catholic Dr Richard D. Ryder Concern for Animals (CCA) joined Eurogroup directly (which Nitin Mehta MBE AIA was unable to do as it is an alliance of organisations and Eurogroup only have individual organisations as members). All AIA Members Welcome In June, Chris Fegan (CCA CE and AIA Deputy Chair) and I attended the Eurogroup conference and AGM in Brussels and Please note that each member organisation is entitled had the privilege of taking part in Eurogroup’s strategy setting to one vote. process and voting at the AGM. Chris has also joined Eurogroup’s Brexit working party which will be working on If you wish to attend please contact Barbara Gardner ways to ensure that UK animal welfare legislation is not at [email protected] reduced during the Brexit process and that opportunities are taken for improving animal welfare in the UK. Details on pages 14-15. 4 AIA’s Campaigning Activity in 2017 By Marian Hussenbux Britain Norfolk Meat Traders We referred in our last report to our correspondence with In Britain, we lobbied on the Food Standards Agency about the company Simply the following issues: Halal, which became Norfolk Meat Traders, where exceptionally cruel slaughter practices were revealed. The Battery Rabbit Farm FSA had maintained to us on 25th October 2016 that none An application was made last of the staff from Simply Halal were employed at the new year for a battery rabbit farm company, viz: in Gnosall, Staffs. and after ‘None of the slaughtermen and Animal Welfare Officers much opposition from many