Factory Farms and the Environment
The third thing to consider critically is the environmental impact of factory farms. Islam calls upon us to be stewards of the Earth.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“The world is beautiful and verdant, and verily Allah, be He exalted, has made you His stewards in it…”
Factory farming is one of the planet’s most wasteful and environmentally damaging industries.
It wastes and destroys water. It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat (versus 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat).
You save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you do by not showering for six months.
Furthermore, intensive confinement of animals requires pumping antibiotics into the animal feed; otherwise, the animals die from disease in these cramped conditions.
Antibiotics remain in the animals bodies and local water sources after slaughter. Confined animals also produce tons upon tons of raw waste, which leaves dangerous levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water supply as well.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), factory farming is also a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, with 44 percent of methane emissions attributable to the maintenance of factory farms.
Growing feed for this incredibly large number of animals releases more than 9.3 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The Spirit of the Tradition
The final thing to consider critically is the spirit of Eid-ul-Adha and the spirit of the story of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them).
Eid marks the end of Hajj, the largest gathering of human beings on the planet.
Hajj is about religious routines and rituals, and it is also about how human beings conduct themselves with one another, including their impact upon the shared natural environment.
Islam places great emphasis on care for humanity, which is one reason why the Eid sacrifice is divided into three parts: for the poor, for the community, and for oneself.
However, considering the health consequences and environmental degradation associated with meat consumption today, it makes sense to show love for our fellow humans by providing them with something other than meat, like plant-based staple foods including rice, flour, lentils, and produce.
These provisions not only last than meat but also make for healthier meals and can be more easily shared with many more people.
In accordance with how the Udhiyah is shared, we can think critically about the amount of plant-based foods to share, perhaps packages of weight similar to the weight of an animal that would have been sacrificed.
Finding meat is no longer a difficult task; the factory farming industry is all about convenience, and convenience is key to generating profit.
Protecting the planet and all of its creations is a difficult task and is also a way to submit to Allah, for the Earth and its dwellers are His creations.
Perhaps today, taking a stand against unjust forces like colonialism and capitalism that have created the profit-driven, morally-depraved factory farming industry from which our meat comes, is also a powerful way to show obedience to God.
The considerations above do not take into account Muslims’ finding alternatives to factory farms for their Udhiyah.
The above considerations do, however, recognize that the vast majority of animals raised for food come from the factory farm system and that it’s still very difficult to know whether an animal lived a good life or not.
Since the importance of an animal’s life is taken very seriously in Islam, perhaps obedience in this case is refraining from supporting an industry where animals are horribly mistreated.
Undoubtedly, this article will be received with criticism, reproach, and rebuttal.
All of this is fine; as Muslims, we are called upon to reason, debate, and discuss until the best philosophy and practice is discovered.
We are attempting to present an alternative viewpoint, one that may be marginalized, but one that is quickly becoming more relevant as times change and the practices around meat become more and more Islamically questionable.
From the archives.
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