The flag of Denmark. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Kosher slaughter becomes illegal in Denmark starting Monday, and the move has stirred the ire of Jewish and Muslim organizations in that country and worldwide.

“Animal rights precede religious rights, I am for religious slaughter, but it must be done in a way that does not bring pain to the animal. This can be accomplished only by stunning,” Danish Food and Agriculture Minister Dan Jorgensen told reporters.

The Jewish population in Denmark stands at around 6,000, largely centered in Copenhagen. Finn Schwarz, the president of the Danish Jewish community, said the policy hurts minority groups who have little power to defend themselves.

Speaking to European Union officials, European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said the Danish government’s decision contravened EU laws protecting religious freedom to slaughter animals according to religious guidelines. Israeli Deputy Religious Services Minister Eli Ben-Dahan said, “Anti-Semitism is showing its real face throughout Europe and grows stronger among governing institutions.”