Choked chickens religiously outlawed

SURABAYA, East Java: A senior ulema condemned Surabaya chicken vendors for selling meat which he claimed was not processed in accordance with Islamic rules.

The chairman of Indonesian Ulemas Council, K.H. Basri, told Surabaya authorities to take strong measures against what he described as cheating Moslem consumers.

According to Islamic law, Moslems can only consume meat which has been properly slaughtered.

The butcher must say Bismillah (in the name of God) before killing an animal, and its blood must be completely drained from the body.

"Instead of slaughtering the chickens, they just choke them," Antara quoted Basri as saying in Surabaya on Saturday. (prb)