Author: David Williamson
Publication: http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk
Date: July 31,2004
URL: http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=14480902&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=halal2dcall2dby2dplaid2d2ddivisive2d-name_page.html
Plaid Cymru has strengthened its
links with Wales' Muslim community by campaigning for the provision
of halal food in the capital's schools. Councillors tabled a motion
at a Cardiff Council meeting calling for halal
meals to be offered to all the
city's schoolchildren by January 2005.
Gwenllian Lansdown said, "It's a
fundamental issue of cultural equality. I don't think it's right
that if you are born into a Muslim family you don't have the right
to a nutritious meal when you go to school.
"It's an important issue because
30% if our constituents are from the Muslim community. We have been
campaigning for about a year on the issue."
The campaign is being led by three
councillors in the Riverside area. They say that to have halal food
available to any child who wants it would cost a minimum of £60,000.
Ms Lansdown said, "It may sound
a lot but in the scheme of things £60,000 is very little."
She added that the halal food could
be introduced into schools without making the differences between
Muslim and other pupils seem greater than before. The councillor
said, "I agree there is a strong case for making sure all children
are treated the same. You can have chicken nuggets in halal form.
You are still able to allow children to be children."
But former Riverside councillor
Paul Mitchell said that halal food was already available throughout
the capital and that by tabling this motion Plaid Cymru was trying
to exploit religious differences for political gain.
Accusing the party of "ghastly tokenism",
he said, "It's divisive and naive and cynical and it's an insult
to the professionalism of the catering staff."
Ms Lansdown said she would also
support measures to ensure Jewish students had access to kosher food.
