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In Belgium yesterday, the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations of Belgium (CCOJB) filed suit in the country’s Constitutional Court challenging a law passed in May by the parliament of the Walloon Region that effectively bans kosher and halal slaughter.  A similar lawsuit is likely to be filed early next year challenging a similar law passed in July by the parliament of Flanders– where half of Belgium’s Jews live and where many kosher slaughtering facilities are located.  Reporting on the lawsuit, European Jewish Press quote the president of CCOJB who said:Irrespective of its justification, a ban on kosher meat production sends a message to Belgian Jews that they can choose between living in Belgium and practicing their religion, but they cannot do both. It sends a clear message to Belgium’s Jewish and Muslim communities that they are not welcome here. This is a violation of Belgian constitutional principles,  EU law, and the freedom of religion enshrined as a fundamental right – we will challenge it as such, in Wallonia and in Flanders.”While the law was pending, a regional court had questioned its constitutionality. (See prior posting.)

Source: http://lslink.info/?c=28qd