Holidays are supposed to be joyous times, but for animals, they are often the worst of times no matter what religion is celebrating the holiday. For example, during the Muslim holy days of Eid al-Adha, which took place last week, millions of animals, including camels, lambs, goats, and cows, had their throats cut in memory of Abraham's sacrifice of a sheep.

emilie raguso/CC by 2.0

Camels typically have one of their front legs tied up and their rear legs roped together so they can hardly stand, and their mouths are often tied shut. Surrounded by a throng of onlookers, the terrified camels are held down with ropes while someone plunges a knife into their throat. Braying and thrashing in pain, the camels slowly bleed to death. Thankfully, some Muslims are questioning this practice.

If the way that animals are killed during Eid al-Adha disturbs us, what about the millions of turkeys who are slammed into shackles, dangled upside-down by their fragile legs, and killed when their throats are cut open while the birds are still conscious—just so that they can end up on someone's Thanksgiving table? Perhaps it's time to reevaluate all holiday "traditions" that cause animals to suffer and die. I suggest pondering it this Thursday over a plate of delicious, cruelty-free Tofurky.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

According to an article in The Guardian, many Muslims are choosing to break their daily fast during this month of Ramadan with meaty meals.

Nothing could be more contrary to Islamic teachings, which call on all Muslims to respect animals, the environment, and human health, than today's cruel and toxic factory farms and the hazardous foods that they produce. With controversy raging over the planned Islamic community center near Manhattan's Ground Zero, The Guardian offers a useful reminder that for people of all faiths (or of no faith), an effective way to incorporate peace into daily practice is to adopt a nonviolent diet.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Good habit

Bad habit

Written by Amy Elizabeth

Jonathunder / CC by 3.0

A priest at an Anglican church in Toronto found herself at the center of a very unchristian row over the concept of human supremacy after allowing a dog named Trapper to eat communion bread.

When Trapper and his guardian, Donald Keith, visited the church last month, the Rev. Marguerite Rea invited Keith to take communion; while conducting the rite, Rea gave Trapper a communion wafer as well. While to Keith and many of the church's parishioners this was simply a kind and inclusive gesture, one upset observer left the church after filing a complaint with the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.

Rea has since apologized, but she shouldn't have to! She should be applauded for recognizing that animals are included in God's infinite love—something that compassionate people of faith already understand and others should hear. As another Anglican priest, the Rev. Andrew Linzey, has said, "Animals are God's creatures, not human property, nor utilities, nor resources, nor commodities, but precious beings in God's sight."

If you're a practicing Christian, please show respect for all God's creatures and order a vegetarian/vegan starter kit today.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Even if you didn't spend 12 years in Catholic school, as I did, you probably still know that St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals. He was a man who preached to birds and blessed a wolf, and it is rumored that from his deathbed, he even thanked his donkey for his years of loyalty.

In keeping with the spirit of its patron saint, who believed that God looked out for all of His creation, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Cleveland has seen the light and agreed that giving away bunnies—or any live animals—as "prizes" is a bad idea. A vendor at the church's annual carnival was offering live rabbits as game-booth prizes, but after hearing from us about the grim fate of animals who are given away so casually, Rev. James Caddy readily agreed not to let it happen again. We're sending him a vegan chocolate rabbit as a token of our thanks.

The fair season is in full swing, so check out these ideas on what you can do to help all the animals who suffer and die on the summer circuit.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

PETA's recent undercover investigation of the largest slaughterhouse in Uruguay exposed that the facility was using the primitive and cruel "shackle and hoist" method for kosher slaughter.

This slaughterhouse is the largest foreign supplier of kosher meat to the U.S. and a major kosher meat exporter to Israel. Thanks to the PETA investigation, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has just announced that by 2011 it will no longer certify meat as kosher if it's from a slaughterhouse that use "shackle and hoist"—that's about 80 percent of the meat imported into Israel, so we're not talking small potatoes!

This is a great step. Of course, the only way to know for sure that you are not supporting slaughterhouse cruelty is to go vegan. Plant-based foods are naturally kosher, and a vegan diet is in keeping with Jewish laws mandating that animals be treated with compassion and respect.

Written by Heather Moore

Some people in Barre, Vermont, are in a tizzy over a recently rediscovered (but never enforced) 1973 ordinance that bans residents from allowing their cats to roam unattended. I say that this 37-year-old law is smart, kind, and ahead of its time, because allowing cats to prowl the suburban jungle unattended isn't doing them any favors. This cat, who was rescued by fieldworkers with PETA's Community Animal Project, is a heartbreaking example of why:

This cat's guardian allowed her to roam outdoors. She disappeared for several days, and when she came back her leg had been degloved and all the bones were exposed.

Every day, cats whose guardians see no harm in letting them roam are injured or killed by vehicles, shot by cruel neighbors who don't want them using their gardens as litter boxes, poisoned, stolen to be used in experiments or as bait in dogfighting, and worse. Cats also instinctively terrorize, maim, and kill countless native birds and other wildlife who are already struggling to survive challenges such as habitat loss and who aren't equipped to deal with such predators.

Protecting cats and wildlife doesn't have to mean making Kitty a full-time housecat. Many cats quickly become comfortable with wearing a harness and enjoy leisurely leashed excursions around the yard with their guardians. And then there are "catios"—cat patios that clever and compassionate people build so that their feline friends can safely enjoy the great outdoors. Whatever we do, if we love our cats, we must never let them roam out of our sight.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Sue Sylvester, the sardonic cheerleading coach on the breakout TV hit Glee, is a pretty ruthless character, but thanks to the fabulous actor who plays her, Jane Lynch, there's at least one thing that Sue will never resort to: Violence against animals.

When a script called for Sue to intimidate her nemesis, show-choir director Will Schuester, by threatening to give him an adorable cat and then kill him or her, Jane balked, reportedly saying, "I'm not going to say that. I work for PETA. I can't say kill the cat." So, instead, Sue said:

Go, Jane! Not only is this line funnier (it's so Sue Sylvester), it also avoids the very unfunny consequences that occur much too often when sick individuals emulate acts of violence against animals when they see or hear about them in the media—acts that often escalate into attacks on other humans.

This story also offers more proof, if any is needed, that the famous faces who help with PETA's campaigns are walking the walk, even outside the public eye!

Written by Jeff Mackey

I'm going to be frank—after a minute and a half of GAIA's latest undercover video footage from a halal slaughterhouse in Belgium, I had to stop watching. But while I was able to hit a pause button, the more than 250,000 cows, sheep, and goats who are slaughtered while they are still conscious must endure prolonged torment. Animals killed halal (according to Islamic law) cannot be stunned before their throats are cut, which means that many animals—including the cow shown in this video—fight and gasp for their last breath, struggling to stand while the blood drains from their necks.

Belgium forbids slaughter without prior stunning, but the law does not apply to ritual slaughter practices, even though much of the halal meat produced in the country is distributed both to religious and nonreligious markets. Islamic teachings encourage kindness and compassion toward all creatures, which is why many Muslims make the humane decision to go vegan. Visit IslamicConcern.com to learn more about cruelty-free alternatives to halal meat.

Written by Logan Scherer

As a Muslim living in America, I know what it is like to be in the minority. But a recent Pew Forum study suggests that Islam is making inroads toward the cultural mainstream.

According to the survey, one in four people worldwide is Muslim, and the countries with the largest numbers of Muslims might surprise you. India, for example, whose residents are mostly Hindus, is home to the largest number of Muslims outside Indonesia and Pakistan. Russia, China, and Germany also have large Muslim populations.

In an effort to reach out to the growing Muslim community, a new Web site, IslamicConcern.com, has just launched which includes hadiths —sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)—and quotations from the Qur'an and Islamic leaders about compassion for all of God's creation, including animals.

At IslamicConcern.com, people can learn about how modern factory farming techniques—such as branding animals, amputating their tails and castrating them without anesthetics, and burning off birds' beaks—seem to violate the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) teachings to cause no pain to an animal before she or he is slaughtered. Animals raised for food are often fed the ground-up bodies of pigs, chickens, and cattle along with chicken excrement and other waste products. Many Muslims believe this is most probably haram (forbidden).

Even if you aren't a Muslim, I encourage you to check out IslamicConcern.com. You might be interested to learn how much Islamic teachings about kindness to animals have in common with Christianity, Judaism, and other major religions.

Written by Mr. Hanif Akhtar, PETA Member