HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – After months of debate, the Hamtramck City Council voted to allow religious animal sacrifices.
The city’s attorney said imposing restrictions would be unconstitutional. He said animal religious sacrifices is, and has been legal in Michigan.
“I think many people may be surprised to know that public animal sacrifice is allowed in every city in the state that the state of Michigan allows,” the attorney said.
The attorney advised council to do away with proposed restrictions. He pointed to a 1993 Supreme Court ruling prohibiting restricting religious animal sacrifice.
Those restrictions included notifying the city ahead of a sacrifice, scheduling a post-sacrifice inspection to ensure the area was adequately cleaned and sanitized, and keeping it out of public view.
“The concern is is that these Muslim families are not disposing of the animals appropriately or there are blood in the streets and it is scaring children. But we have not seen any proof of that,” Nour Ali with the Council of American Islamic Relations Michigan said.
Ultimately, the council voted to pass a new language that is nearly identical to the state and federal statutes on religious animal sacrifice.
