The Prohibition of Ritual Slaughter
as an Example of Infringement
of the Constitution‑guaranteed
Freedom of Religion. Modern
and Historical Context
In Poland, the current dispute flared up around the ritual slaughter, both Jewish
(shechita) and Muslim (halal), as inhumane method of killing animals, thereby
rendering them unnecessary suffering. The prohibition of ritual slaughter – as an
example of unacceptable interference of the state in the Constitution‑guaranteed
freedom of religion – has a wider dimension. It turns out that modern European
liberal and democratic state of law has some trouble with a clear definition of
such concepts as “religious freedom” and “independence of churches and religious
associations”. This is due to the increasingly progressive ideologies of the modern
state, which with reluctance, if not hostility, refer to the religious communities,
that live according to the principles of revealed truth. Increasingly widespread
belief becomes a fact that every religious community may make its own rules
arising from religious orders, but only if they do not go beyond the principle of
equality before the law, lifestyle choice or equality between women and men.

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