[Joe Priestley writes about Multiculturalism, Indian cuisine, halal food, and Islamic ritual animal slaughter.]
By Joe Priestley, 9th September 2005
The multiculturalists go on about the debt we owe third world immigrants, but when asked for details, even after lengthy consideration the best they can come up with are the supposed delights of what they call ‘Asian cuisine’.
Asian cuisine? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Joking aside, well sort of, honour insists that I come clean, and in writing too – I love a good curry. There, I said it! Curry is not a regular on our menu at home, but occasionally it’s just what we fancy, and it’s something that the whole family enjoys. Though let me make it plain I’m not talking here about takeaway slop of questionable pedigree – I mean, what do they put in those things?
And I’m not talking restaurant either, whether of the flock wallpaper and naff music variety or of the more high tech trendy minimalist sort of thing that seems to be growing more popular in these (West Yorkshire) parts. My wife and I don’t do Asian restaurants, period.
Not that I haven’t indulged in the past, but that was before I came to the conclusion that Asian restaurants and takeaways that are aimed at the British population are an affront to the British way of life and an expression of contempt for the British people.
I still love curry though, but now it must be prepared by someone I know, otherwise no thanks. And let’s face it, given the right spices (the Patak range of curry pastes is excellent), good ingredients, and care in preparation, you don’t have to be a Gordon Ramsey to cook up something that’s as good as ‘authentic’ – curry is simple food, and with the exception of the spices it’s not that different to our own roasts and casseroles.
The only problem with cooking your own, apart from dyeing the cookware and crockery yellow, is that it’s impossible to replicate authentic naan bread. Traditionally naan is cooked in a clay oven, and that’s one piece of kitchen equipment we’ve still yet to buy! So in the meantime we get the ready made ones that you warm through in the oven, Sharwood’s and Sainsbury’s own are ok, but they fall far short of the delicious, soft, light, coriander naan bread that I remember so well from my pre-enlightenment days. But I’m afraid that for the foreseeable future authentic naan is out; the problem is that it comes with authentic curry.
Ritual slaughter
The issue of the ritual killing of animals wasn’t one with which I was familiar, and certainly it never used to enter my mind as I tucked into what was then one of my favourite curries, which as far as I remember is called Karaih Gosht, though it’s so long since I ate it I’m not sure of the spelling.
But as my unease at the consequences of multiculturalism grew I found my attention drawn to the contrast between the Muslim way of life and that of ours. And as I learned more about the cruelty of the Muslim method of ritual animal slaughter in comparison to the humanity of our own I found it got in the way of my enjoyment of lamb and tomatoes cooked in a spicy sauce.
For a while I chose the vegetarian option, spinach and potato is good, but the issue of Muslim restaurants selling halal slaughtered meat for the consumption of ethnic Britons had too many implications for me to ignore. And eventually, on principle, I could no longer allow myself to eat in an Asian restaurant, irrespective of the tastiness of the food they serve.
Ethnic Britons are traditionally concerned with animal welfare. We have organisations and laws that are dedicated to the protection of animals and which ensure that the method of slaughter we employ minimises suffering. It is against the law for a British butcher to slaughter animals by the halal method (essentially bleeding to death); halal slaughter is contrary to our beliefs and this is enshrined in law.
However, in order to pave the way for multiculturalism in Britain the establishment found it necessary to change the law to accommodate the alien beliefs and practices of immigrants. And thus we are left with the insane situation that whereas it is illegal for an ethnic Briton to slaughter animals by the halal method and then sell the meat to ethnic Britons, it is perfectly legal for Muslims to do so. And whereas the British butcher would end up in court, the Muslim restaurateur is praised for his culinary skills and business acumen.
Here we have just one example from the infinite list of examples of the idiocy of multiculturalism.
Muslim arrogance
The Indian Mutiny against British rule began in 1857, sparked off by a controversy concerning the cartridge for a new Enfield rifle, which in order to facilitate its insertion into the breech was greased with what the Indian sepoys alleged was animal fat. Hindus claimed it was beef fat, Muslims that it was pork and both interpreted it as an assault on their culture and religion – and the rest is history. Suffice to say that both Hindus and Muslims saw this as such an affront that they went on a righteous rampage and without mercy slaughtered any Briton that they could, women and children included.
Muslims in particular are still very sensitive about their beliefs and they expect others to be similarly sensitive. And indeed the British have been extraordinarily accommodating in this respect and have even gone so far as to put Muslim beliefs before their own.
Unfortunately Muslims are not so accommodating. They appear to be of the opinion that their beliefs should take precedence over everyone else’s, and indeed the spineless British establishment has encouraged them in this. The issue of halal slaughtered food and its sale to ethnic Britons is a prime example.
So although the vast majority of Asian restaurants cater almost exclusively for the ethnic British population, those restaurateurs choose to sell their clientele halal slaughtered meat, even though that method of slaughter is contrary to British culture and beliefs. Presumably the Muslim argument is that their beliefs preclude the handling of non-halal slaughtered meat and that these must take precedence over their customers’ beliefs in the welfare of animals. The hypocrisy is breathtaking; while they are fussy about what they eat, they don’t expect anyone else to be.
And this is what I meant earlier when I referred to Asian restaurants as an expression of contempt for British beliefs. Without a second thought Muslims put themselves first with no consideration for the fact that what they were serving up for their British customers to eat was in direct conflict with traditional British beliefs about animal welfare. We’ve already seen how Asians behaved when they believed their own customs were under threat, yet for some reason they appear to have a lot less respect for the traditions of others than they expect for their own.
No self respecting Briton should eat in an Asian restaurant. To do so is both an acceptance of the idea that Muslim beliefs are somehow more valid than our own and an acceptance of the Muslim method of ritual slaughter irrespective of its inherent cruelty.
If you want to eat Indian, make it yourself. Don’t patronise those who have nothing but contempt for our ways.
Originally published on the website of the British National Party.
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