A sign of the times: Australian butcher is forced to take down THIS notice outside his shop after it was found to be offensive and 'inciting hatred' of Muslims



A local butcher has been forced to take down a sign on its front window declaring that its meat is 'non halal certified'.

Muslims complained Valley Butchers was mocking Islam with the prominent sticker, which included pictures of kangaroos and emus, at its Adelaide shopfront.

'It pokes fun of a specific group of people based on religious belief. It is very intentional and obvious,' the complaint read.  'Jokes like this on a public shopfront perpetuate a culture of vilification towards religious minorities, that results in harm towards them.'

Valley Butchers defended the sign to the Advertising Standards Board as merely an answer to a frequently asked question. 'The sign is only stating that we are not halal approved. In no way is it meant in a malice way,' it said.

'We where getting asked quite frequently whether we are halal approved so I am just stating that we are not and that saves a lot of wasted time.'

However, in a split decision, the board upheld the complaint, and noted the sign would have been fine if it was just one letter different.

'Had the sign stated 'Not Halal approved' or 'Unfortunately, non Halal' this would be less likely to have been considered discriminatory or vilifying signage,' it said.

Instead, it decided the sign was ridiculing of halal certification and that this was offensive and demeaning to 'people who are of that faith or are of Muslim ethnicity'.

SOURCE